Falling With Style
by M. Michelon
Summary: My life was turned upside down, flipped around more times than my sister's truck. In three seconds, my life went from fun, partying nineteen-year-old to mom of four. My entire world ended. Most days, I can feel myself drowning. But now there's this...guy. He comes around and expects me to fall into his arms. My sister fell, ended up with three kids, and dead. I won't fall. Right?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Okay a couple of things to get out of the way before we get started here. ****_PLEASE READ. _****This story takes place in my version of the ****_Twilight _****pack. If at any point you are confused, I would recommend either reading the other stories or PM-ing me. I'll be more than happy to answer any questions that you guys have. The other major important thing is that this story takes place FIVE YEARS AFTER ****_BREAKING DAWN._**** Seth is not a teenager in this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Prologue**

"You just don't get it, do you?" she snapped at me. "I can't just go out anymore. I have things that are important here."

"Mama will watch the kids," I insisted. "We're nineteen, Sammy. You can't just end your life for a couple of kids."

"These are your niece and nephews. They're not just _kids_. I can't go out," she said.

"You're my twin; having kids doesn't change that." She huffed at me and picked up a few pairs of socks. There was no aim to her throws, just the anger that was welling up in her.

"I have three kids. _Three! _I don't get to have a life anymore. I'm still your twin, but I'm nineteen with triplets. If you were a good, supportive sister, you would stay in this house and help me with the kids. Jay doesn't even like me and he's been staying and helping," she said. "He's fifteen; if anyone should be out having a life, it would be him. You and I had our chance to be crazy teenagers."

"And because of _your_ stupid choices, we're not allowed to do anything fun. You, me, Jay, Mama! All of our lives _suck_ because of the things that you've done," I snapped back at her. I watched a tear roll down her cheek and tried to stifle the guilt that was swirling around me. She touched each kid's forehead with a gentle kiss before she grabbed her keys and shoved them in her pocket.

"I have to go and get Mama from work," she said. She turned and walked away and I followed, ready to continue our argument. She didn't get to do this to me. She couldn't take away my life because she'd chosen to have sex with her boyfriend. She paused at the front door and turned around to glare at me. "I hate you, Tucker."

If I had known that it would be the last time that I would see my sister, if I had known that it would be the last words that I would hear her say to me, I probably wouldn't have been as mean as I had been. My life flipped upside down faster than her car when she'd rolled it over. My anger at my sister had taken not only her life, but my mother's. All the shit I'd given her about ending her life and becoming a mother of three at the age of nineteen and now I found myself standing in front of a judge, begging for custody of my fifteen-year-old brother and three month old nephews and nieces.

"Miss Mills, you think you are prepared to take custody of four children, three of them being infants?" the judge asked me. He held all of my paperwork in his hands, flipping the papers around in his hands. I could see him trying to determine whether or not I could take care of these children, but I was determined not to see my family get separated. I killed my sister and my mother. The only thing that I could do to fix it all was take care of the kids.

"Yes, Your Honor," I said in a quiet voice.

"She can't have them!" he screamed back at the judge. "They are my children." I snarled at David and hoped he would just disappear. He hadn't wanted anything to do with the babies from the moment that they were born.

"That is enough, Mr. DeWitt. You're a young woman, Miss Mills, but I would have to agree that the place for this children would be with you. Custody of Jameson, Wesley, Westyn, and Lacey Mills is granted to Miss Tuckers Mills. This court is adjourned," he said with a bang of the gavel. Jay bounded over the divider that kept us apart. I tucked him in close to my side.

"Let's go get the babies," I said. Jay had so much going against him. Dad had died when he was so young. Then I killed Mama. The person that should have replaced her died too. Between me and Sammy, she was the one that was supposed to have kids. I was never meant for motherhood. I knew how to do school and work. I had no time to be around children. Until three months ago, I didn't even know how to change a freaking diaper.

Child Services was waiting with the triple stroller I'd bought my sister for her baby shower. The boys and Lacey were fast asleep in their carseats. "Congratulations, Miss Mills," the woman said. "Between you and me, we were all rooting for you." I smiled at her and thanked her before taking the stroller. Lacey cried a little when the sun hit her, but Jay was quick to change that. He shoved the hood of her carseat farther up so that the light wasn't hitting her.

"Hey Tuck?" I looked at him, silently wishing that I could have kept my beautiful Dodge Ram instead of the Ford Excursion that I now owned. But the Excursion was better suited for someone who had four kids and would probably need to be carting around many more. "We're not staying here, are we?" We couldn't; there were too many memories in this town. Just a few miles down the road was where the wreck happened. We couldn't drive through that part of town everyday without the memories. Besides all of the ghosts that would haunt us, our small town in Maryland wasn't exactly the easiest place to live in. Everybody knew everybody; which meant that everybody knew what happened to my sister and mother. I wouldn't put Jay and the triplets through the embarrassment of pity that they would receive throughout their lifetime.

"No; we're moving. I got a job all set up. We leave in two days," I said.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Washington. A Native American reservation up in Washington. They had a place that we could stay," I replied.

"Do I get to know the _name_ of the city?" It was hard some times to remember that my brother wasn't so little anymore. And when it came to the kids, he was the person that I was going to have to rely on for all my help. I didn't know anything about raising kids.

"La Push." He nodded slowly like he was still processing. "And, uh, I probably forgot to mention this, but I got a new car."

"I haven't really seen you while I've been in those houses," he said. I worried for a minute that he was accusing me of not fighting for him enough. If he only knew all the things that I had gone through to get him back with me. "But I'm sure it's a nice car." I nodded; it was. To keep the car payments, the house that I just bought, and provide for the kids, I'd had to take a few jobs. But it was going to be worth it. I was going to do right by these kids. Jay was going to go to a good college, become the doctor that he'd always told mom he would be.

"We're going to have to put one of the babies in the second row," I said as we made it to the car.

"The seat can go in the middle," Jay replied. He already knew more about this than I did.

"Will you be able to help me out while I'm driving?" He nodded.

"You know, Tuck, we're already packed up because of the foster care stuff," he pointed out. "We could leave tonight." I didn't say anything. "You're right; I'll put Lacey in the second row with me. We won't be able to buckle them from there."

"You're not taking my children," David screamed from behind me.

"Mr. DeWitt," his lawyer tried, but he pulled away.

"Regardless of what you're thinking, Tucker, I loved your sister," he shouted at me. Jay took a place next to me like he was prepared to defend me from anything and everything.

"Get in the car with the kids," I commanded. He stared up at me like he was wanting to fight with me about it, but quickly got into the car. The kids were what David was after, so it was more important to get them watched. "What do you want, David?"

"I want my boys," he snapped back.

"What about your daughter?" I hissed. "You don't care about her? Or do you care about her just like you did my sister? Sammy deserved so much better than you. And the only good thing that came from you is Sam's kids. The court decided that I am their guardian. We're leaving here, David." I wasn't willing to turn my back to him. I was afraid of what he would do if I didn't have my eyes on him. I pulled myself up into the truck and closed the door.

"It doesn't matter where you go, Tucker. I'll find you and I'll find my kids," he promised.

"Fat chance of that happening," I snapped.

I was going to do this. I was going to do this right. And I was going to protect my kids. Or die trying.


	2. Chapter I

**Author's Note: Okay, here it is! Enjoy!**

**Chapter I**

"What do you think?" I asked Jay when we pulled up to what would be our new home. It was tiny, something that I could afford. But it had a large front yard that would look good once I started planting. The backyard was almost two acres of land, which meant that I could eventually build on it and make more room. But for now, I could afford this place. There were two bedrooms, which meant that I could put the kids in one and Jay in the other. It wouldn't be that difficult. I could do this.

"It's, uh, it's a little run down, Tuck," he said. The paint was peeling off the wood sliding of the house. The steps that led to our small porch looked like they were ready to cave in at any moment. "I'll climb up and you can hand me the kids. I don't trust those stairs." I nodded, agreeing with him. I was going to have to figure out exactly how I was going to fix these stairs. I knew exactly _nothing_ about fixing houses. Jay set Wesley's carseat down on the ground, backed up a few steps, sprinted towards the porch, and lithely leapt up to porch. I watched him pound around a little bit, stomping on the wood to make sure it would hold. "All right, hand them up."

I handed him Wesley and then Westyn, making sure that each kid was safe, secure, and that the ground wasn't going to give underneath them before I finally handed over Lacey. "They're probably ready to get out of those damned seats," I said when we got to the empty living room. I crouched down to unbuckle the boys while Jay took care of Lacey. And then I looked around at places to lay the kids down. Places that didn't exist. "We really should have thought about all of this before we took them out," I said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"We have to unload the car and we have nowhere to put them in the meantime," I explain. I was going to have to figure this out eventually. There were just too many kids to not learn how to juggle things. "Here, take Westyn," I said. I gently transitioned the other boy to my brother's care. Wesley had a bad habit of screaming whenever he was being moved around. For that reason alone, I chose to keep him close to me. After a three day road trip, I was pretty much finished with crying for a little while.

With Wesley's head lying on my shoulder and his body scrunched against my chest, I reached for the first play pen. The temperature wasn't too warm and a light breeze drifted from the ocean that was less than five miles away from us. I could leave the kids outside while we unpacked. The fresh air would probably do them some good after three days in the car and hotels. "Jay, can you manage the stairs with them?" I asked him. He called back his affirmation and appeared in the doorway. I shifted Wesley so that he was more stretched out and grabbed the little port-a-pen. Thank God for pop up stuff. "Go ahead and put one of them in here," I said.

I told myself that this was going to be an adjustment for all of us. Well, for me and Jay. The babies weren't going to adjust to anything. This was going to be all they ever knew. I grabbed out another play pen and set it up. Once Jay had his hands free, I let him get out the last little crib and set it up. Once I had Wesley in his bed too, happily blowing bubbles on his back, Jay and I began the difficult job of unpacking our lives. I stopped when the sun was higher in the sky to put up the little umbrellas so that the kids wouldn't be too warm. I switched out toys, regaining everyone's attention and keeping them occupied for a little while long.

"There's still some food left in the cooler," I said, standing with my hands on my hips and looking out over our land. It would look beautiful when we had it planted the way that Sammy and Mama would have liked. "We can eat a little bit and then go shopping."

"Tuck, it's okay to take a break every once in a while," Jay said. I knew that he was tired. He had taken care of the kids most of the drive while I was busy driving.

"Why don't you stay here and take a nap," I suggested. "After we've eaten and changed the kids, I'll head out with them."

"You should let me keep the boys here," he tried. "Three kids -"

"Is something I'm going to have to get used to, Jay. You start school on Monday and I have to take the babies to school with me," I interrupted. "I'll have to get used to being with just them. Besides, you'll need your sleep when I come home with all the furniture you're going to have to build." That brought a smile to his tired face.

I took a good little while for the kids to start fussing. In the meantime, we got a makeshift bed set up for Jay to rest on while I was gone. Lacey, being the little troublemaker in the making, started wailing first. And then her brothers started, having been awoken. Jay grabbed Westyn but I was quick to take the third monster from him. "I'll feed them and get them all loaded up. Go catch some sleep." I cuddled Lacey to my chest and balanced her bottle against my shoulder. I rested the boys between my knees on another mattress and held one bottle and balanced the other against my calf.

It seemed to take ages to get them fed and loaded and in the car. One final check to make suer that I had the double holder for the boys and then we were off. I drove quietly through town, taking turns that weren't really necessary and trying to find my way through the new area. My aimlessness brought me to a downtown area with a big sign in bold, red letters. FURNITURE. I turned the Excursion into the lot and began the time consuming task of getting all the kids out. In a perfect world, Lacey would be in between her brothers because it would look nice. But I had figured out that it was easiest to put her on the end when I was going shopping.

Once she was settled across a shopping cart, I pulled the stupid baby carrier over my head. The boys looked like they were hanging in little hammocks on my chest. I had a brief thought of putting another little thing on my back for Lacey, but decided that this was what Sammy had set up for her kids and this was what I was going to do. I locked the car up and started marching towards the store.

I had money from my mother's life insurance and what she'd been receiving from my father was now going to me. I could afford cribs and a bed. Maybe a futon for the living room. Only the necessities for us right now. Until I started work, of course. "Let me know if you need any help, miss," someone called when I walked in. They sounded tired, like they had just been roused from a nap. I shouted a thank you back and started meandering about the store. It didn't take Lacey very long to start whimpering in her seat.

"It's okay, sweetheart," I said. I wondered if she knew how _not_ okay things were right now. Her mother was dead, her grandmother dead, her grandfather gone before he should have been taken. "You want your pacifier?" I dug around her seat for the damned thing and found it, nudged her mouth open until she took it. I looked around the store to make sure that no one was going to be about. "How am I going to do this?" I asked the ceiling.

I found good priced cradles and a nice bed frame, but no futon. I could sleep on the floor for a little while. I would have to be back here soon to buy bigger beds for the kids soon anyways. They couldn't live in tiny little cradles forever. "Did you find everything you were looking for, Miss?" the same deep voice said from behind me. I jumped, startled by the sound and whirled around. I tried to nod and then made the mistake of meeting his eyes.

It was like looking in a pool of melting chocolate. And not the shitty milk stuff that people bought, but the good 70 percent cocoa dark chocolate that had a richness all its own. "We're fine," I managed, but he didn't seem to hear me. No doubt, he was wondering what a redhead with the curliest hair known to man and blue eyes was doing on a _Native American_ reservation. Add the fact that I didn't exactly fit in to the fact that I had three infants with me and I wouldn't be surprised by any of the thoughts that were twirling around in his head. I cleared my throat to make my voice a little stronger. "We're fine. Thank you Mr.," I trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

He shook his head like he was clearing fog from his eyes. "Clearwater. Seth Clearwater." He shot me a smile that was carefree and stunning. It took the breath right out of me. "Let me, uh," he cleared his throat, a blush stealing over his cheeks. "Let me know if there is _anything_ you need." He kind of bolted from the area then and I shook my own head to dispel the thoughts of his smile. The last thing that I needed was to fall for some small town kid who was working in a furniture shop for a little while.

So why was I finding it so difficult to finish shopping without stealing glances at him?


	3. Chapter II

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you all for the support for this story. I really love getting to see reviews, alerts, and favorites. I hope you all enjoy today's chapter. Love & Thanks**

* * *

**Chapter II:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

It kind of sucked being the wolf that didn't have a girl. Or Nate. Even Collin and Brady had girlfriends and while they didn't know about the wolf stuff, both of them had someone to go to at the end of the night. Me? I was too afraid of imprinting and hurting someone. I was just different from the rest of the guys. Sam and Jake had opened a garage together and everyone worked there. Everyone but me. I understood cars and parts; it wasn't really hard. But I didn't have the talent for it that everyone else did. What I was good at was carving.

Leah and I opened a Native American furniture store a few years ago and it was thriving in our small town. Tourists actually wanted the stuff. I busied myself with new carvings and building more stuff while Leah dealt with her son and the financial side of the business. It was a really nice set up for everyone involved.

Except for me.

Mom and Charlie Swan had started their own little relationship thing. It was kind of weird, if you asked me. It kind of made me wonder if my mom had always like him. Leah told me to quit fixating on it. When they started dating, we all kind of thought that they were helping each other get through the grief of losing Dad, but five years later I knew it was something more. Mom was living with Charlie, but left me the house to stay in. Nate had taken over Charlie's job for the most part, which meant that Mom and Charlie were gone most days. And my mother had a sudden love of fishing. I chose not to over think that one. For sanity's sake.

So all my friends got home and had warm girls to hold them and take care of them if ever we needed that. And I didn't. I worked and patrolled and ate and slept and then started the whole cycle over again the next day. I was getting sick and tired of it. I wanted my imprint. I wanted kids. I wanted to start my family. "Hey little brother," Leah called as she made her way to the desk. "Can you take Luke for a minute?" she asked when she began trying to unload things with one hand. Holding my nephew in my arms definitely didn't squelch my desire for a family. "Okay, I have some things that I need to work on in the office. Do you think that you could just stay and hold down the fort for a few hours? I can't do the front of the store and balance everything." Where else did I have to go.

I pasted a smile on my face, the one that made everyone around me relax. Regardless of what I was actually feeling, I had to smile. If I wasn't grinning, then everyone would start to freak out. I'd learned that after Leah had started dating Sam ages ago. "Sure, Leah," I said, gathering my nephew to my chest and taking my place at the front desk. "What do you think kid? You want to handle this job for me?" The six-month-old's chubby legs churned as he tried to roll himself over. I flipped him over so that he was lying on my chest, slapping my collarbone with his thick hands.

Luke was the spitting image of Nate. I was happy to see my sister as happy as she was. She had a husband, a kid, a home. Gone was the bitter Leah of the past. None of the guys said things about dating girls that weren't imprints because they'd end up like Leah. She had her perfect life and I don't think that she wanted anything to change anytime soon. We played a little, but ultimately the little tyke fell asleep on my chest while I pretended to do some work. The bell jangled right as I was getting ready to drift off to sleep. I groaned quietly. "Let me know if you need any help, miss," I said, keeping my eyes closed and hoping that it was a woman that had walked in.

"Thank you." The words were quiet, but sincere. I went back to my dozing, reclining in my chair and listening to Luke's quiet snores. God forbid the boy snored anything like his grandfather used to. And if he did, then God help the woman that married him. I just watched the boy sleep. He was going to be trouble; I could see it already. "How am I going to do this?" The broken whisper reached my ears and tugged at my heart. I could help. That's what I was best at. I was good at helping people whenever they needed it.

"Let me take Luke," Leah said. "There's a customer here. You shouldn't be dozing," she reprimanded.

"Tell Jake to take me off the night patrol," I retorted.

"You know he won't. With Ryanne pregnant he wants to be there with her all night long," she said. "Suck it up, Seth." I was the only one who didn't have a good enough reason to be home at night, which stuck me with that late night shift while everyone else was sleeping. Not that I told anyone or even allowed myself to think about wanting a different shift. I transferred Luke to his mother's arm and watched my sister saunter off to the office, cooing to her darling baby boy. Between her and Nate, the kid was going to spoiled beyond all belief.

I walked down the aisles, following the scent of the woman down to the children's furniture. She smelled warm, maternal, like chocolate chip cookies that had just come out of the fridge. "Did you find everything you were looking for, miss?" I asked. She jumped and clutched her arm around a bundle in front of her. A kid? I looked her up and down, her curves hidden behind not one, but two infants. She didn't look nearly old enough to have two kids. She nodded, a little pink blush on her creaming cheeks.

And then I was standing at the thing that I had been missing for my entire life. Her eyes were midnight blue, almost purple in the light of the shop. Her skin was like fresh cream that my mom used to get at the store, creamy and smooth. Brown freckles decorated her nose and flirted with her dark red lashes. Her hair was bright red, fat curly ringlets that were beginning to frizz around her heart shaped face. Her lips were plump and a wonderful pink. But she clearly wasn't wearing any makeup. And she was breathtaking.

"We're fine," she murmured but she seemed as dazed as I was. I roamed over her form again, paying more attention to her now. She held two children in a sling on her chest. I could also see a carseat in the cart behind her. She had _three_ children? She barely seemed old enough to have one. I guess I was getting a jumpstart on that family that I wanted. She cleared her throat and I told myself to say something to her, but I found myself entranced by the white column of her neck. "We're fine," she repeated. "Thank you Mr. ..."

I shook my head hard, trying to get rid of all the images of her that were thrashing around in my head. "Clearwater," I supplied. "Seth Clearwater." I smiled at her, trying to be flirtatious. I'd never really had to try before. She sucked in a deep breath and I took it as a sign that I was doing okay. "Let me, uh." Let me marry you. Let me date you. Let me figure out who you are. I cleared my throat and shook my head again, my face heating at my thoughts. "Let me know if there is _anything _you need." Money, love, a babysitter. All she had to do was say the word.

I was getting ahead of myself. I smiled at her again and ran like a scared little girl. I needed to get my head screwed on straight. If I sat there and stared at her any longer, I was going to just explain everything about the wolves to her and end up scaring her away. Either that or I would end up kissing her. She just smelled so good. I watched as she awkwardly tried to load up three baby cribs that were put in boxes. "Here, ma'am," I said, hurrying to her side and grabbing the heavy box. "Let me give you some help with that."

"I'm okay," she said sternly. "I don't need help." Dear Lord the woman was worse than Penn.

"Unfortunately, my mother raised me to help people when they needed it; whether they liked it or not." Mentioning my mother made her eyes go dull for a brief second. "Please, just let me help you to the car." I moved to lay to bed frame box across the cart, but was blocked by the carseat that held the third child.

"I said I'm fine," she snapped defiantly. I slid the long box atop the others. "Thank you for your help, sir." She spun her cart around and took off faster than I would have thought a woman with three babies and a ridiculous amount furniture would have been able to. This might not be as easy as I'd thought.


	4. Chapter III

**Author's Note: I'm glad everyone was happy with the last chapter. Please feel free to PM or review if you guys have anything that you would really like to see! Enjoy!**

**Chapter III**

"I know, baby I hear you," I said as I listened to Westyn screaming in the backseat. If I could just get the stupid boxes loaded up, I could get up there and make him stop. For some reason, this stupid bed frame and headboard just wouldn't fit. Westyn cried a little louder, which quickly sent Lacey into her own little fit. "I know, guys, just give me a minute." As quickly as it all started, it stopped. Westyn and Lacey both silenced, which never happened. "Westyn?" He wasn't making any sound. Nothing. Had he found me already? I'd thought we'd be safe all the way out here. "Westyn!"

I dropped the box in my hands, disregarding the fortune that I had just spent. A tall figure was hunched inside of my car, leaning over my children. I reached in my back pocket for my knife, so sure that it was _him_ back to get my children. "Get away from my children!" I snarled, unfolding the knife. Large hands that couldn't possibly by _his_ came out of the truck first, held overhead in surrender. The man from the store. There was no danger here. I took a deep breath and stepped back a little to let him get out. "What are you doing to my kids?"

"I didn't mean any harm," he said in that deep voice that made my knees wobble. "We have a service pledge at the store." I jerked my chin up a notch and moved between him and the kids. Both Lacey and Westyn had found their pacifiers. Wesley was sleeping peacefully, having ignored the earlier commotion. "I didn't know that you'd paid and I definitely didn't expect you to be loading up on your own. Besides, your purchase comes with assisted assembly."

"What does that mean?" I asked, still suspicious of him. The babies were unharmed, though. He hadn't hurt them.

"One of our workers will come around and help you put all your stuff together," he said with another one of those smiles. "I'm the only one qualified to do that, so, if you'll just -"

"No." No one needed to know where I lived. It would only make it easier for David to find me when he got around to looking for us again. "I'll handle it by myself."

"With all due respect, ma'am, you're husband won't -"

"There isn't a husband. There's me. I said that I could handle it." He was still smiling at me, not a care in the world. If he only knew how quickly he could lose that attitude. If he only knew how quickly it could all change. "Thank you for your help, but I'll take care of it myself."

"I don't mean to insult you, miss, but you can't. It will take you a good hour to do each crib and the bed is even more difficult. And they're definitely not something that you can do while watching three children." I glared at him. I didn't need anyone's help. I could do this. Jay would be at home. Jay could help me. "I built all of this furniture, miss. I can get them together for you and be finished in an hour or two." He'd made it sound like it would take three times that amount of time to get it done. "It's complimentary."

One person in town knowing where we lived wasn't going to get us killed. And once Jay started school, the district would have his address. That would be the easiest way for _him_ to find us. "Fine." I scrawled our address on a napkin and handed it to him. "That where we'll be." He nodded and his smile broadened. He turned to get his truck and nodded to me, giving me permission to leave. "What am I doing here, guys?" I asked the babies. The three of them were happy in the backseat, Lacey having drifted off to sleep alongside Wesley. Westyn, the spitting image of my sister, was looking out the windows. He was going to be a handful, I could see it already.

I wanted them to have normal lives. I wanted to ground Westyn for sneaking out. I wanted to squirt water at Wesley when he wouldn't wake up in the morning. I wanted to hold Lacey after he first heartbreak. And I couldn't do that if I was making them hide from the rest of the world. I wouldn't be doing what I promised my sister if I was forcing the kids to hide out. I was just going to have to be cautious. No one could be trusted. But I couldn't keep them sheltered forever no matter how much I wanted to.

I pulled up the house first. Now that I had unloaded the kids a few dozen times, I had figured it out. I undid Lacey's carseat and placed her in the sling, leaving her carseat in the car for later. Then I grabbed the boys out and marched up the stairs and into the house. Jay was still asleep and while I wanted another set of eyes to help me watch out for the kids, Jay needed his sleep. He'd stayed awake almost constantly on our long drive. The only thing that he could have possibly done different was driven.

I was standing on the front porch, watching for the car. In all honesty, I was scared to death that I had given my address to someone that was going to use it against e. What if David had figured out where we were going? What if he'd hired someone out here to get information for him? "Stop it Tucker," I snapped at myself. "You're being paranoid." As if to assure me that I was, in fact, being ridiculous, Seth's car pulled up in the driveway.

"I see you were stubborn enough to unload the car," he teased. Did he really think that we had a relationship where he could tease me? We'd only just met. So why was I smiling at him? "Where do you want these to be set up?"

"Okay, here's the problem," I said. "My brother is asleep in the room that we're putting the bed it."

"Well, he'll probably wake up by the time I'm finished with the cribs," Seth replied with barely a blink of an eye. "If not, I could always come back tomorrow." Tomorrow sounded like a much better option, but it wasn't one that I was wiling to allow. Once he had the furniture built, he could be out of here. And there was no reason for him to ever come back.

"I'll wake him up in a few. It's been a long couple of days," I said. Jay needed some undisturbed rest. No babies crying; no small portable bed that we ordered because we were too pour to get a bigger space. God knows I needed it too, but I wasn't going to get it. Not until the kids were older and I could afford another bed. "The babies' room is this way."

I kept Westyn in my arms, hoping that he wouldn't wake up his brother and sister. I bounced him a little to keep him calm and entertained. "I really don't care where you put the cribs, just as long as there's room for me to walk around. And I need to fit all three of them in here."

"It should be doable," he said, surveying the space. "I'll get to work." I nodded and took Westyn off to the kitchen with me. I dragged the other two port-a-pens to where I could see them. From the corner of my eye, I could see Seth moving in and out and around the house as he put together the cradles. "Do you guys have any tools in the house?" he asked, peeking his head into the kitchen. His hair was cropped short and he had some goofy grin on his face.

But it was different than the smile that he had worn earlier. Earlier, his beaming smile was just a boasting of how his life was so easy, so free. In my house, surrounded by children, he looked actually happy. "No," I managed to spit out. "I haven't gone shopping for anything."

"Okay; I'll just head on out to my truck." The rascal dared to wink at me as he marched out the door and to his truck. I wasn't going to lie. I was glad that he left. With him in this house, I couldn't focus on anything. I found myself looking over to the nursery room, where Seth was working. I found myself drawn there. But now the main problem that I had was that I couldn't help but look out the kitchen window to the front yard where Seth was digging around in his truck.

He was attractive, there was no lie there. He was tall, at least six foot five. And while he looked like he was the same age as me, there was a certain boyishness about him that screamed youthful. I wondered if he had any responsibility at all in his life. He turned suddenly, catching me staring at him. His answering smile was brighter than the sun.

This was going to be a long couple of hours.


	5. Chapter IV

**Author's Note: Not much to say. Saturday might be a little touch and go for chapters. I'm going to try and make it happen, but I've got overtime in the morning and I'm getting a tattoo in the evening. So we'll just see what happens. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter IV**

"Tucker!" Jay's voice carried easily through the house, the distress unmistakable. I bounced Lacey in my arms, hoping that she would be lolled to sleep by the motion. I hushed her and hurried down the short hallway to where Jay was standing. "Did you know that there is a strange man in our house?" he demanded. I smiled a little at his worried tone.

"Jay, this is Seth Clearwater. He works for the furniture store that I bought our new stuff from," I explained. "He's just helping put everything together. It's part of the store's policy thing."

"So we're letting strangers in our house now?" He looked a little disturbed by the fact that there was a man in his house. "Tucker, what if it's one of David's -"

"It's not," I said, like I hadn't already thought that whole situation through. "He doesn't know any of us." Jay just glared at me, a little more paranoid than I was. "If you're so worried about him, why don't you go and give him a hand?"

"Good idea." This was going to be a long couple of months. We needed to get acclimated before we could all relax a little. "Come on."

Jay's hands found my lower back and pushed me towards the hallway and into the nursery room. Seth was bent over one of the cribs. Another one was already up and standing against a wall. They looked even better than the displays that had been on the shelves at the store. I couldn't believe it. "Seth," I called quietly, hoping that he wouldn't startle. He looked very intent on his work. He rose to his feet and turned to face me with that ever ready smile. "Seth this is my brother Jameson. Jay, this is Seth. He can give you a help with whatever you need. And I thought maybe it would be best for him to learn about them incase we had any kinds of problems."

"Sure," he said. He waved Jay forward. I stayed in the doorway only long enough to watch Seth start instructing Jay to open the third cradle. They would work on his together until it was at the same point as Seth's and then work independently. Or something along those lines. I was kind of flabbergasted at the sight of my brother kneeling down and learning. Unwanted tears sprung to my eyes and drove me from the room. The last time that I had seen Jay in that position had been the week before Dad died. It felt way too good to see my little brother learning at the hands of another man.

"I guess it's just too bad that you guys won't ever get to have a daddy in your lives," I said, looking down at the sleeping boys. Lacey's little face lifted to look at me and she smiled, completely unaware of what I'd said. Or maybe she didn't care as much as I'd thought she did. Who knows, really?  
I used what little food we had left from our drive and made dinner. Propriety would dictate that I allow Seth to stay for lunch. After all, he was being more than helpful with the building and he certainly didn't seem like he was going to hurt me. I had my knife and Jay. We could handle whatever came along on our own. I warmed water for the kids and made some bottles, checking my feeding times to make sure that it was that time of the day. And then I was startled by a sound that I hadn't heard in ages.

Jay was laughing. Not just his little amused chuckle, but a full blown, head thrown back in glee, laugh. A quiet yawn sounded from my chest. Lacey, content with the fact that her uncle was actually laughing again, decided that she'd had enough for the day and it was bedtime. So much for feeding the kids, although I was sure the boys would wake up any minute and demand their food. For the time being, however, I could lay down and rest. Lacey would be happier in her play pen anyways. I laid her down and waited, making sure that she wouldn't start howling. I checked on each of the boys and then laid myself down on the little couch. It was only made for two and I had to curl up to fit completely, but the cushions were so comfortable and I was just so tired.

It was still early enough in the day that I could take a nice nap before I had to get ready for the rest of the day. I needed to find a job. We could only afford to live here three months on what I had in my bank account. A ten minute nap was all I would need to recharge. Then I could find a job and find a way to keep my family going. As soon as the babies were awake, I would be finished with my little nap.

"Jay, quiet down; you'll wake up your sister. Didn't you just say that she needed some sleep?" The hushed whisper woke me from my spot on the couch. One of the few throw blankets that I'd brought with me from home had been lightly tossed over me. I stretched, rolling over away from the back of the couch and kicking my leg out straight. A movement that I shouldn't have been able to make on the little love seat I'd used as a bed.

But that was because I wasn't on the love seat. I had been moved to the other couch, the one that Jay and I hadn't even brought into the house yet. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Jay and Seth were sitting at our tiny kitchen table. Seth was bouncing Lacey and Westyn on his lap while Jay was busy feeding Wesley. "You just came in a grabbed my kids?" I asked. Jay flinched and ducked his head guiltily. "What were you thinking?"

Seth stood, still cradling both infants in his arms. While I was livid with him, I couldn't help but be impressed. Lacey and Westyn looked like had been swallowed in the masses of his muscles. His arms were so long that he could easily support them and hook his hand back to feed at the same time. But that didn't change the fact that this stranger had just tried to insert himself in my life. I didn't know him and I had no intention of getting close enough to feel comfortable with him having my kids. "You were tired, Tucker." When had I given him permission to call me by my first name? I don't think that I ever had. I jerked my chin up and reached for my niece and nephew. "The kids were crying and you didn't even notice."

I'm sure that my face was up in flames. I was supposed to be responsible for these kids and I hadn't even heard them crying. "It was a long drive, Tuck," Jay said. "I was just going to let you sleep and Seth offered to stay and help me out." I suppose that it wasn't so bad with Jay there watching the man.

"How did I end up on a different couch?" I asked, determined to find a reason to be angry.

Seth's face went up in flames, but his eyes held mine steadily. He cleared his throat and then said, "You couldn't very well sleep on that little old thing. We brought in the sofa and I thought that it would be more comfortable for you."

"So you waited until I was asleep to put your hands on me?" I said. My tone was dead serious, but I was only kidding. Jay would have done the same for someone.

"N-n-no, I just," Seth began sputtering trying to get out some words to make reparations for his actions. I plucked Lacey from his arms, but the little devil actually whined and looked at Seth. A couple of hours and he'd placed himself in my family like he belonged there. But this wasn't _my_ family. It was supposed to be my sister's and I had ruined that. I wouldn't allow myself to forget that. And while Seth had an easy going nature about him, I doubted he knew anything about real responsibility. His little job was probably the extent of that.

"Relax," Jay said. "She's just kidding. Tucker likes to think that she has a sense of humor." He shot me a look that I had seen in ages. Maybe Seth could fill in the role of big brother. Jay could use someone like that. It would be good for him to have a real man to look up to. But they could do that away from home. Away from the babies.

Away from me.

"I am funny," I argued back, trying to keep myself out of my thoughts. That was dangerous territory. "You just can't quite appreciate it."

"Well," Seth said. He still looked a little flustered. Due to my teasing, no doubt. "I should get going. I left Jay with my number so call me if you guys need anything." I nodded, anxious for him to leave so that I could breathe again. "And don't forget what we talked about," he added with a pointed look at Jay.

My little brother nodded. "What'd you guys talk about?" I asked once I heard Seth's engine start.

"Nothing."

Great; he's fifteen and hiding secrets. That had disaster written all over it.


	6. Chapter V

**Author's Note: Here you guys go! I hope you enjoy! Love & Thanks**

* * *

**Chapter V**

"I just need a little time to get out of here, Jay," I promised. He waved me on. "They're all down for naps, so it should be easy goings."

"Tucker, I know how to watch them. Sam used to," he cut off abruptly, like someone had taken all of the air out of his lungs. His eyes darkened, his voice turned to gravel. "I've done it before," he said after a long while. I opened my mouth to tell him that it was okay to talk about them, even if they weren't around anymore. But grief was a personal thing. After our father passed, I refused to say his name or speak my thoughts of him aloud. It seemed wrong, like remembering him was somehow betraying his memory. So instead of saying anything to him, I just nodded.

I felt like an impostor, walking into the diner in my best jeans and nicest shirt. A year ago, this would have been the natural thing for a girl my age to do. But now, with four kids waiting at home, I just felt old and haggard. "Can I get you a table, miss?" a sweet girl with long black hair asked.

"I'm really just hoping you guys will be looking for a server or a busboy or anything?" I sounded desperate, even to my own ears. But I needed a job and I wasn't above using the pity plea. "I just need anything. I can cook, I can clean, I can serve." The girl before me looked pained which told me her answer before she'd even opened her mouth.

"We're pretty slow around these parts. You can leave your number and I'll give you a call if something opens," she said. I sighed. That wasn't what I wanted to hear.

"Thanks." I hadn't even seen another restaurant in town. Where else was I supposed to go? That damned furniture shop? Yeah; I could go and work for Seth. Of course, I doubted that I would get any work done with him around. There was something about him that made it almost impossible to focus. "Can I, uh, can I get a cup of coffee?"

"Sure thing."

I took a place at the bar, resting my head in my hands. I couldn't go back to the house without a job. I couldn't face my kid brother and tell him that I couldn't get a job. It would be just another failure to tuck under my belt. "Excuse me," a quiet older voice said. I looked up in time to see an older woman with thick raven hair and glimmering brown eyes slid into the seat beside me. "I don't mean to be nosey or anything, but I couldn't help but overhear." I smiled at her, hoping to give her a silent permission to continue. "I don't know if you're qualified, but I personally think anyone could do it." Do what?

"I don't think I know what you're implying here, ma'am." Hope was thundering in my chest just as strongly as caution.

"I'm looking for a house manager," she said.

"In all honesty, ma'am, I don't know what that is," I admitted but oh how I desperately wanted any ob. I clearly wasn't qualified to do what she was asking. The only things I had going for me were my ability to learn and my honestly. And maybe the charity of this woman.

""My son lives in my home, but he works a few jobs and far too many hours if you ask me," I smiled at her. It was nice to have someone with such a motherly tone around, even if it was just a few moments, just a few words. "I'm a little too busy to take care of him the way I'd like so, so I'm looking to a house manager. Cook, clean, keep the house stocked with food. I just want to know he's being taken care of." I bit my lip to keep from telling her that her son was either severely overworked or a complete and utter bum. "It's forty hour a week. I'll give you a thousand dollars a week pay and five hundred dollars a month for groceries." Was her son obese? Who spent that much money on groceries a month?

"While I appreciate the offer, ma'am, I have three young children. My mother," and my sister, "didn't believe in daycare and neither do I."

She stuck her hand up in front of my face, quick to fix whatever it was she though she'd done wrong. "My son is gone all day. I don't see a problem with your little ones being at the house. So long as they don't break anything, of course." My children were uch too young to be a big brother. "So what do you say?"

"I say that I think you found yourself a new house manager." I beamed at her. "I can start whenever this week or next, Mrs. - -"

"Call me Sue, sweetheart. Why don't you come by the house for dinner on Sunday? Bring all your little ones and we'll enjoy a nice, relaxing evening."

I hesitated, not wanting to say the next part but knowing that I couldn't accept her offer without her being aware of some part of my situation. "I have a teenager as well," I said cautiously. I watched her brown eyes go wide and steely as she tried to calculate my age or at least guess.

"The more the merrier," she said after a moment. "We'll go over your contract and all that." I nodded and lifted the mug to my lips. "And the house is already baby proof, if you're concerned." I wasn't; I was failing at this parenting thing. "From when my children were younger. And now, with the grandbabies, I didn't seen a need to undo it anytime soon."

"The kids are still too young to be a big problem there, but thank you," I replied, trying to keep from blushing at my oversight about the child proofing. I should probably get on that at my own house. I downed the rest of my coffee, eager to get home to my kids and give my brother the good news. "I should get home. We'll see you on Sunday, ma'am."

"I'm looking forward to it," she replied. She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and scrawled a street address down. "Can't wait to see those little ones." I smiled at her. My kids would have been so much better off with someone like her. But it wouldn't have been their family. Sammy was always insistent that they be with family.

I narrowly avoided sprinting to my car and speeding home. Between the drive, the conversation, and the coffee, I'd only been gone forty-five minutes. All three infants were still asleep. Jay was sprawled out on the floor with his sketchbook in front of him. The boy was determined to be a tattoo artist. As great as that may be, and as great of an artist as he was, I was insisting he finish school and go to at least a junior college and get some kind of degree. Something for him to fall back on should all of his plans fall through. "Nothing in this truck stop town for you?" he asked. I scoffed.

"This place is too small for a truck stop." He grunted in response. "Found a job," I said, slinging my purse down to a chair and moving into the kitchen. "I won't be home until way after you finish with school."

He shrugged, focusing on his drawing again. "I was thinking about going out for the baseball team anyways," he said nonchalantly. "If I make it, we would have practice until six everyday." I nodded.

"Okay," I said, struggling to keep my voice even and light. This was home for us now. We were seriously going to live the rest of our lives here. We might as well make the best of it. "So, uh, about this job," I said, picking up some of the babies' things that were still lying around. "I need to go to this interview dinner thing on Sunday. The woman, Sue, she wants me to go to dinner with her and her son at the place."

"And what are you going to be doing?"

"Playing Holly Housewife nonstop," I said. He looked at me furrowed brows. "They're looking for a house manager. But it's good pay and I get to take care of the kids."

"So long as you get to take a break every once in a while, Tuck," he said. I nodded and waved him off just as soon as one of the kids started to whimper in their cribs. Thank God Seth had gotten those put together. I rushed into the room to try and keep one little minion from waking the others.

This was my life now. Working as a housewife, the unmarried, never been pregnant mother of four. I wrapped Lacey in my arms, quickly changed her diaper and tried desperately not to focus on my thoughts. Tried not to focus on my sister, my mother, my father, all the people that had left me behind. Tried ... so ... hard ...

I rushed Lacey out to Jay's arms and made some kind of excuse about needing something before I practically ran out the kitchen door to the back porch. But being outside didn't seem far enough. So I just kept going and going until I finally tripped on a tree root and sprawled face first. And then I just laid there and sobbed.


	7. Chapter VI

**Author's Note: Okay, everyone. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter VI**

I just needed a minute or two to control my emotions again. I sat up, rubbing the dirt smudge on my cheekbone. It made its way across the freckled bridge of my nose, but I didn't stop it. I'm sure my tears made clean streaks through the middle of it. I would have to find a way to wash my face before I went back into the house. Jay would get worried if he saw me covered in dirt. "Need some help there?" A few long hours into my day and I already recognized the voice of the damned man.

"Of course you're here," I snapped at him. "Is there anywhere that you aren't in this fucking town?" It was probably the one chance that I would get to cuss for the next few years of my life. My voice was cracking and sounded like I had swallowed gravel for lunch. "So why are you here?"

"I'm part of a neighborhood watch kind of thing," he replied. "I heard you when I was out on patrol."

"Carpenter, store worker, and vigilante?" I heard the hurtful tone in my voice but I couldn't bring myself to change it.

"I'm just trying to be nice," he said. "Why is that something so difficult for you to understand?"

"Because I don't have time for nice," I snapped. "I have three babies and a teenager at home. I have kids to feed and blankets to find. I have a house to unpack and a home to make. I don't have time for some local boy who wants to be nice."

"You don't have time for a friend?" he asked suspiciously.

"No." I made the single word a snarl, harsher than anything that I had before. "Now, if you'll excuse, my pity party is over." I didn't have time for those tears. I had five lives and two bodies on my hands. "I don't have time for this."

I rushed back into the house, swiping a hand underneath my eyes and shoving the tears out of my way. All thoughts of how to hide the tears and dirt from Jay were forgotten, masked by my need to get away from the man who seemed to be everywhere whenever I needed someone. I wasn't stupid. Seth Clearwater was one of those guys I would have immediately went after had I met him in my former life. But the girl who enjoyed clubbing with her sister and picking up guys was gone. Seth was a great looking guy with a personality that was brighter than the sun. But I didn't have time for any of that. I had time for work and kids, that was it.

"Everything okay?" Jay asked as I came back in. I just nodded, not wanting him to see my face for the moment. "Okay, well, Lacey is in her play pen. I'm going to take a walk." I nodded, glad that I would be getting rid of him, even if it was just for a short time. I just needed a few more minutes to compose myself. And then maybe a month or two to get used to the fact that I was a mother.

The rest of the week kind of flew by in a blur. We had landed in La Push on Wednesday, finished unpacking the house on Thursday, got Jay registered for school and classes on Friday, stocked the house with all the things we were missing on Saturday. Before I knew it, Sunday had arrived. I was a good cook, but the motherly gleam in Sue's eyes promised me a great meal. I was more than ready to _not_ be the person that was responsible for cooking and cleaning. Just for a few hours.

I pulled a shirt that I deemed appropriate for the night over my head. The olive green t-shirt was simple, but it showed off the fact that I had a shape. And it didn't really matter what shirt I wore because I was wearing the double baby sling and no one would really see me. Jay and I got the car loaded up, him sitting in the passenger seat and the three monsters strapped into their seats happily. "You really want to do this, Tuck?" Jay asked me as we neared the house. It wasn't a matter of what I wanted anymore. All that mattered was what I could do to take care of my family. If that meant cooking and cleaning and playing housewife to some obese bum workaholic, then so be it.

"Yeah; it'll be easy and I'll get to have the babies with me. It's a perfect situation for everyone involved," I said. There was a look in Jay's eyes that said he didn't think that it was a perfect situation for me, but he didn't voice any thoughts. This was the best situation for everyone. The kids would have a mother that they could remember as mostly stay-at-home. Sammy would be sitting in heaven smiling, knowing that her babies weren't put in some daycare facility or with some nanny that wasn't part of our family.

The house in front of me was larger than what I had been expecting. A large front porch wrapped around entire house, planter boxes over flowing with blossoms in the late fall. That would probably be one of my jobs. The place was impeccably clean. I was grateful for that. At least I wasn't going to have to clean the place. It looked like a lot of keep-up work for me. Jay bounced Westyn in his arms, the boy bouncing his little legs and shoving his fingers in his mouth.

In the sling, Wesley kicked his sister with a good deal of force behind his leg. "Help me get this thing off," I begged. Jay took Lacey from the sling and rested her against his hip while I took Wesley out and unbuttoned the damn sling. "I think they're getting a little too old for this," I complained, taking my niece back in my arms. She cooed and smiled, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like "Dada." Just the sounds made my stomach clench. Some day, she would be asking me about a father. She would be as curious as any other child. She would want to know why she didn't have a father, why all of her friends did, where her father was. And I would have to come up with all of those answers.

Jay knocked on the front door once I was settled. It was kind of incredible how quickly this all became second nature. "Nervous?" he asked me. Footsteps were approaching and my heart was hammering in my chest. I nodded. "You're going to do fine, Tucker. You've always done well at anything you've wanted to." Except parenting. I was still figuring that one out.

Sue opened the front door, that motherly smile ready on her lips. "How are you, sweetheart?" she asked. "Nice and busy, I see. Let me take one of the darlings," she said. It was morel like she was begging me to let her hold one of my kids. I didn't see a harm in letting her empty one arm for me. I passed Wesley over to her. With eyes that looked exactly like Sam's, he surveyed Sue. Ultimately, he decided that he liked her. "Come on in, Tucker," she ushered. There was a skill to her movements that I wished I had. She entertained Wesley and kept talking with a skilled ease that I would never have. "Let's have a tour. My son's just finishing up the steaks. You must be Jameson," she said when she noticed Jay hadn't left my side yet. "You could head out to the backyard if you wished." Jay's dark hair was cropped short, making him look older than he was.

"With all due respect, ma'am, I think I'd prefer to stay with my sister." Sue shrugged like it didn't matter one way or another to her. Jay kept Westyn happy in his arms, handing the baby some large toy to chew on.

"This is the main entry," she said. There's an entry way in the backyard, too, but I don't use it nearly as much. These are the bedrooms." And so it went. She seemed perfectly content to have a baby in her arms. We talked about beds that would need to be made and leaving play pens in the downstairs bedroom. And then we got to what might have been the most amazing kitchen that I had ever seen. The island had enough counter space to feed a family, a gas stove nestled in the middle. "There's an oven underneath there," she said, indicating the stovetop. "And a second is over there beneath the warming drawer."

"I hope someone will be around to teach me how to use all of this stuff for the first few days," I said, looking at all of the touchscreen technology surrounding me.

"Seth said he'd be out in the shed for the next few days so he can address any questions you may have," she smiled.

"Who?" My heart fell. She couldn't be talking about him. He wasn't her son. There just wasn't a way.

"My son; Seth." I bit my lip and looked away from her with a plastic smile on my face, wondering if it was y mother or my sister that had decided to meddle in my life?


	8. Chapter VII

**Author's Note: I know that there was no chapter yesterday. I'm super sorry. Here you guys go! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter VII**

No matter how many times I told myself that this wasn't happening, that _Seth_ wasn't the man that I was going to be working for, it didn't change the fact that he was standing in front of me beaming like an idiot. Jay had tucked his chin into his chest, but his eyebrows were just about flush with his hairline. I wanted to look at him and ask if he knew about this when he found me in the forest. But, of course, that would reveal the fact that I had been crying in the forest. And we couldn't have that. "Tucker, this is my son, Seth Clearwater. Seth, this is Miss Tucker Mills, your new house manager."

"We've met," Seth said, that grin still on his face. Oh how I wanted to reach up and smack it off his face. "Miss Mills was one of the customers down at the shop earlier this week," he explained. There was a flash of something in his mother's eyes that said she knew something that I didn't. "Did you get enough rest, miss?" I could feel my upper lip trembling with the desire to growl at him.

"I did, thank you," I replied tightly. "All of the kids are grateful for what we've purchased from the store." And once I had been working for a few weeks, I could buy a bed for myself. Sleeping on that couch was getting old real quick. His smile widened and I told myself to keep my mouth in that hard line. I told myself that I didn't need to smile. My lips twitched anyways. And that only made him happier. Jackass.

"Well, why don't you come over here? We'll set up a few blankets for these babies and let them play around," Sue said, breaking the tension immediately. "How old are they?" She bounced my nephew on her hip and beamed down at him.

"Coming up on four months," I said. Jay dug into the diaper bag on my hip and laid it out on the grass before taking a seat and letting his monster free. I let Lacey go and watched her crawl directly for Seth.

"Whoa there little one," the man said. I was surprised that a man as large as him could swoop down and grab the little girl quickly and without breaking stride. She kept her head up and leaned back to look up at Seth. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked her. She smiled and slapped her hands down on his chest. At least one of us got to hit him today. "I didn't know that you were looking for a job, Tucker."

"Not really looking anymore. I found one," I said. "Working for you." I couldn't keep the sneer from my voice. He just had to be everywhere, didn't he? Sue and Jay were absorbed in the kids, giving me a moment of pseudo privacy with a man that I didn't even know. I shoved up to my feet and marched over to where he was standing by the grill with Lacey in his arms. I couldn't be upset with him for holding the enthralled little girl so close to the cooking. I did it every day and I highly doubted that I looked as at ease as he did. "Be honest with me," I hissed. "Please."

"Always," he promised. He looked up from the food with a serious glint in his steely eyes.

"Did you know about this?"

"No." There was no hesitation. There was no reason for me to suspect that he wasn't telling me the truth. And his single word answer actually put me at ease. "But I know that you won't regret this job, Tucker. Not for a moment." Whatever moment we definitely_ weren't _having was interrupted by Lacey's little sock-covered foot being stuck directly in my face. "I promise."

Monday morning found me asking myself why I was trusting the promise of a man that I had only known for a few days. I dropped Jay off at school. The only thing that my brother had in common with the other Native kids that were mulling around the school was the dark hair. His creamy, freckled skin stuck out like a sore thumb among everyone else. But he kept his head up high, not willing to let the others see him the least bit down. He would be okay here. What effect his forced adulthood had on him was another question. A question that I didn't have time to ponder.

I sighed and drove to the house. At Seth's insisting, I had brought over some of things for the triplets. I was to leave them at the house so that I didn't have to bring them back in forth. The downstairs bedroom that was closest to the kitchen would be for the kids. That way, when they were older, I wouldn't have to worry about them and stairs. He just kept making it sound like some longterm thing, like I was going to be in this house forever.

I couldn't stop myself from heaving another breath when I pulled into the driveway and saw Seth sitting on the front porch. He certainly wasn't an obese bum. The moment the engine was off, he pushed off the stairs and marched down with determination. The front door was left open but Seth didn't care. His steps practically echoed against the stone walkway. He took both of the boys out and had them on the ground, already working on Lacey's seat by the time that I had gotten things together and was ready to get out of the car.

I was really going to have to get over my distraction of him if I was going to be working here. "Did you want to take her?" he asked politely. I nodded and scooped Lacey up into my arms while Seth bore the boys off to the house.

"Don't you have to go to work?" I asked him rudely. He just shook his head. "How exactly are you going to pay me if you're not working?" I added just as harshly.

"I didn't say that I wasn't working," he replied, using his foot to make sure that the door stayed open for me and Lacey. "All of the things that you bought at the store, I made them." There was a little blush that stole over his cheeks that confused me. Of course he made them. I was well aware. He'd spent a few hours in my home setting them up. Because he knew...

"You made all of those pieces and carved all of those designs?" He nodded, that same sheepish look on his face. The boy would make himself at home in my house without hesitation. He would pick up my kids and let me sleep when he'd only known me for a few hours. But he was going to get all shy over the fact that he was a carpenter? "I didn't know that you _made_ them, made them," I said.

"That's why I was saying that I would be able to make them up for you no problem," he said, looking down at the ground. He put Westyn and Wesley down at his feet but didn't say anything more. "You don't have to worry about pay or anything. I don't always have to go down to the store. I spend a good amount of time in the shed, carving and just hanging out."

"So you own that store?" I asked him. He nodded. Here I was thinking that he was some twenty-year-old asshole that was home and working at some furniture store. But he was actually a business owner, a man that had a talent that I honestly felt was lost in the world today. I almost opened my mouth to apologize, but he wouldn't know why I was saying sorry. "Why didn't you say something the other day?"

"I _do_ work there; I just own it at the same time," he said. "I'll go unload the car of the stuff you brought." He practically sprinted out of the house then. "If you wouldn't mind starting some breakfast, that'd be great," he called behind him. The independent person in me desperately wanted to tell him that I wasn't his slave. But I was. That was my job. I had been hired to cook and clean and take care of him.

So instead of being anything but gracious, I forced myself to swallow my pride and turn my attention to his breakfast. The fridge was pretty much empty, but I found some cheese, bacon, and eggs. What more did you need in this world? I dug around the drawers and cabinets until I found some tortillas. A good breakfast burrito could make any man happy. I cooked the eggs and bacon while Seth came back and forth between the car and the house. He locked himself in the bedroom then while I was cooking, taking Wesley and Westyn with him.

I turned to ask whether he wanted hot sauce with his breakfast, ultimately forcing myself to the bedroom. I pushed the door open quietly, hoping that the boys had taken their nap. And they had.

Each infant lying on one of Seth's arm. Lacey cooed from the little chair she was sitting in over in the kitchen. Seth responded with a snore. I couldn't fight the tenderness that welled up in my heart. So leaving the bedroom door open, I padded back to the kitchen to take stock of the groceries that were there. Why did he have to be a _nice_ guy?


	9. Chapter VIII

**Author's Note: I'm glad to see that people are happy with this story. I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible, so please let me know if you feel like I'm not getting something correct. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter VIII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

I had pretty much locked myself in the bedroom to build the cribs that she had purchased. She was so beautiful. How could I have missed her when she first walked in? The door squeaked open and brought my attention to a young man with dark hair rubbing a hand over his tired face. He opened his eyes then and looked at me for a moment... And then bolted from the room. "Tucker!" Her pounding footfalls came down the hallway instantaneously. What had happened to this family that had them on edge all the time? "Did you know that there is a strange man in our house?" he snarled.

She sighed and her heart slowed almost immediately. "Jay, he's Seth Clearwater. He works for the furniture store that I brought our new stuff from," she explained. "He's just helping put everything together. It's part of the store's policy thing."

"So we're letting strangers in our house now?" he snapped. The wolf part of my brain bristled at his tone. Tucker had nothing to do with it; well, not really. I would have found a way to weasel my way over here one way or another. "Tucker, what if it's one of David's -"

"It's not." I tried to listen to the rest of their conversation, but my mind was a blur. I could feel myself shaking as I thought about that name. David. There was something about her tone that screamed fear. Whoever this David man was, he terrified her down to her very core. "Seth?" I jumped to my feet. Her voice was like a little bell, a quiet little tinkling sound that had me grinning without even trying. "Seth, this is my brother Jameson. Jay, this is Seth." I nodded. She turned to face me completely. "He can give you a help with whatever you need. And I thought maybe it would be best for him to learn about them in case we had any kinds of problems." Or she could always call me.

"Sure," I said instead. I could practically feel her lingering in the doorway, but only until I had Jameson caught up on where I was with the second cradle. "Do you prefer Jameson or Jay?" I asked, trying to be kind.

"Do you really work for that company that she bought all of this stuff from?" he returned. I balked a little at the question.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm looking for a job; something I can do after school," he replied.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen; you think you could get me a job?"

"Well seeing as I own the place, I could see what we could do," I returned. That would be one way to butter up my imprint. I could get her brother a job working good hours for good pay. It'd be a good way for the kid to grow up. "As long as your parents are okay with that."

"My parents are dead," he said rudely. "I'll talk to Tucker about it if it'll make you feel better." He jerked his chin up in a motion so similar to what I had seen the older redhead do that I almost smiled. Almost.

"Tucker's your guardian?" He nodded, but there was a slight cloud that dropped over his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents."

"Most people say that. You got a good reason or are you just saying the right thing?" Kid had some gaul, I would give him that.

"My dad died when I was about your age. I'm sorry to hear that you lost any of your parents. I know it ain't easy," I explained. I lifted the crib up and settled it where it should be. "You're going to be raising your niece and nephews?"

"You don't want to ask about that," he warned.

"Look, all I'm telling you is that you should let me know if you need any help. I know what it feels like to have to step up." He looked down at his own finished cradle. "I'll help you with whatever you need, man."

"Could we start with a job?"

"I'll see what I can do, okay?" He nodded. "We should go and see if your sister needs any help."

"You'd be better off not to ask that question."

"She'd probably kill me with that hair of hers, huh? Are they just curls or are they snakes?" I asked. He tossed his head back and laughed. I wondered if the smile that he had would be the same one that Tucker would wear. I would just have to get her to smile first. Then I could fine out.

"She's got a lot on her plate; it can make her a little irritable," he said, still laughing. At least I could do something to help the kid. Kind of like what Nate did for me, I guess. God knows what I would have become without him there for me. "Well, more irritable than normal. I wouldn't lie and tell you that my sister is ever _easy_ to get along with." I'd like to take that challenge. "So, you own that furniture shop?"

"Yep."

"Do you know how to build more than just furniture?"

"If the occasion calls for it," I replied. "What's on your mind?"

"Those porch stairs. I can't have my sister and those babies trying to get up and down those things," he explained. I felt the familiar pang in my heart that I felt around the guys. It was the one that told me that we had lost so much far too young. And sitting before me was a fifteen-year-old kid who would be forced to grow into a man way too soon. Maybe that would soften her heart. Maybe, if I could help the kid reclaim some of his childhood, she'd realize that I'm not all that bad.

"How about you write a list of all the things that need to be fixed in the house and I'll see what I can do, okay?" I suggested. "You can help me out and all that, too. That way if something breaks again, you'll know how to fix it up." The look of relief that crossed his face was indescribable. Wether my imprint hated me or not, whether she rejected me or not, I needed to make sure that this kid had someone there for him. It would only be fair for him.

A whimper from the other room drew my attention then, pulling me from my thoughts. "Hey Seth." I turned around and looked at him. "The kids' dad, he's - - he's not a good guy. That - - that's part of Tucker's problem. So don't take stuff personally. She's just trying to keep us all safe." I nodded and turned back to the door. A baby was wailing in a play pen, but it didn't bother me none. "Tucker, can you get Westyn?" Jay called through the doors. There was no response. "Tuck?"

I marched out to find the fiery redhead curled up on the short couch, her knees practically touching her chin. "She's asleep," I called back. One of the triplets that was wrapped up in a pink blanket was crying her little heart out. "Hey, beautiful," I said. Just hearing a voice made her calm down. She looked up at me and grabbed at me. The trust of an innocent child. I lifted her out of her little gated area and smiled down at her. "Did your mama fall asleep? She must be tired, huh little one?" She smiled and cooed, telling me a story in her own language.

Jay came forward carrying another one, this one all wrapped up in camouflage. "She must have been exhausted. It was a long drive," he commented.

"Where'd you guys drive from?"

"Maine. A small town up in the northern end," he replied. "But I don't have my permit or anything yet, so Tuck drove the whole way." And I would doubt that three infants made it easy for her to sleep whenever they actually stopped. No wonder the girl had slept through all the crying and shouting. "Literally cross country, huh?"

"She's going to get a terrible crick in her neck if she keeps sleeping on that thing," I commented.

"We haven't brought the sofa in yet. It's still outside in the back," he replied.

"Well, let's get that in here and then we can let your sister stretch out on that. Then we can get these babies happy and put your bed together." I didn't say that I hadn't seen a bed for Tucker. Knowing what little I did of her, she probably didn't have one because she wanted to make sure that her babies and brother had the best that she could afford.

My imprint wasn't Native; she wasn't even someone that we knew forever like we had Ryanne. No; she was a redhead with a fiery temper to match from what I could tell. And she wasn't a quiet little wallflower like Emily or Kim. But I got the impression that being imprinted on her was going to be more fun than I'd ever had in my life.


	10. Chapter IX

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter for you guys. I'm really sorry that I haven't updated. I'm going to deal with it and get back to my updates. I had a very unexpected death in my family and I've needed to be there to take care of my peoples. Either way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter IX**

It took me less than a week to figure out that I had completely misjudged Seth Clearwater. From Sue's description in the diner, I had assumed that she was just a mom babying her son. What kind of man could work himself that hard? But a few days of working with Seth proved that he was, in fact, everything that his mother said he was. He worked in his shed with the doors open the majority of the time that I had been in the house. When he came in for his food, which I never seemed to make enough of, he visited with me and the kids. It was almost heartbreaking to watch him on the floor with the babies.

Friday of my first week of work, I opened the front door using my house key and pushed the boys into the house. A movement in the living room caught my eye. The sight, however, caught my breath. Seth was lying on the ground, using his arm as a pillow. Dark circles rimmed his normally bright eyes. Lacey saw the giant man as well. She squealed with delight, her little legs churning as she urged me to set her down. "Hush, little one," I said. "Let's leave Seth to sleep." I patted her leg and steered the cumbersome stroller into the back bedroom. Both boys were happily dozing in their little carriage, so I left them there and took my little niece with me to make breakfast.

Seth Clearwater was far from obese. After a few days of being asked if I had made anything_ more_ for whatever meal I cook, I was starting to wonder how. I had thought that one breakfast burrito would have been fine, but when Seth had finally awoken from his nap with the boys he'd eaten six. _Six_. So now, after five days of working for him, I had given up on cooking for one or even two people. So I went ahead and cooked for at least six people. That had been enough to pacify him the previous night. "What should we make Seth, little girl?" I asked, looking down at my sister's daughter. Lacey was going to look just like her. I could see it. I just wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it. How would it be to look at my sister's face every single day and remember what I had done?

A little later, I had two quiche put together for Seth to eat before he went off to work. A quick peak in the living rom, however turned my statement into a question of _if_ Seth woke up. He had rolled over onto his side and pillowed his head on his arm. He wouldn't be comfortable like that. With a quick check back to Lacey, I moved my way to the living room.

The house was certainly beautiful, but there was something about it that just felt aged. I doubted that Seth had changed anything. And from what I knew about his life, I doubted that he had a girlfriend to help him redecorate the house. I pulled a pillow down from the couch and kneeled down next to him.

His hair was cut short, but it was still long enough to fall onto his forehead in a way that was young and beyond adorable. Ignoring the pulsing of my heart, I slid a hand under his head and lifted it enough to slide a pillow underneath. He groaned at my movements and shifted a little. I stood to leave but suddenly found myself lying on the ground, a muscular arm wrapped around my torso. I let out a startled yelp and tried to pull away, but the limb just constricted around me. I told myself to struggle; I told myself to get out of the embrace.

But it felt so good. I was stuck close to a chest that was solid and rigid as a wall. A heart thundered against my shoulder blade, the feeling of it comforting. Hot breath whispered passed my ear as he took a deep breath. And me? I had the strangest desire to stay in these arms and just go to sleep. I felt warm. I felt safe. I felt like someone else could take care of my world for just a moment. Here, trapped in Seth's arms and bundled against his chest, I felt like there was hope that the world might just be normal again. Maybe everything would be okay.

Lacey cried from her place in the kitchen, reminding me of where I was and what I was doing. And who I was with. Seth was my boss, the man that I worked for. He was a nice enough guy to be good with my kids, but that was all that he would be: a nice guy. A man with all the potential that Seth had would never tie himself to me and my kids. There weren't just one or two; there were four. Besides, there was no reason for anyone else to be put in danger. So I sighed with regret.

I rolled over and looked at his face. Despite the general pallor of his face and the smudges of exhaustion that were evident there, he was the most handsome man that I had ever laid eyes on. He looked happy and content and his arms were so warm. I felt like I could melt into his chest and let him take care of my problems. But there wasn't time for that. I braced my hands on his chest and pushed away, insistent even when he tightened his hold. I rolled onto the carpet and out of his hold, pushing myself up to my feet in order to bolt if necessary. Seth merely grumbled and clutched at the area that I had been.

Saving myself the embarrassment of realizing I'd been lying with my boss, I scrambled into the other room and scooped Lacey out of her play pen. "Are you getting hungry, little monster?" I asked her, bouncing her happily on my hip. "Your mama's books said that you get to start eating real foods now. That's why we brought the high chair with us." She slapped a hand on my chest. "Just as impatient as your mother, aren't you?" If we had gotten it out of the damn car. "You want to go on a little walk with me?"

As if I'd summoned them, the boys started whimpering in their room. "I'll take her." The groggy grumble startled me, but not as much as the adorable look on his face when he made eye contact with my niece. Lacey started kicking and talking in her own little language. To my disbelief, Seth mimicked her facial expression and started talking back to her. "Thanks for breakfast." He made a point of saying thank you every time I cooked, but I just found it strange. He was paying me for this, after all. I deposited Lacey in his arms, noting that she looked as content as I had felt in his embrace.

The boys had similar reactions to my employer. It certainly hadn't taken them very long to realize that he was a friend. And the big man, who might have the biggest heart, certainly had no qualms about them being in his house. Probably because he acted like little more than a child himself. Example: The man didn't bother with a plate. No, no; he'd just grabbed a fork and managed to get through one of his quiches. "This was delicious, by the way," he said through a mouthful of food. I just blushed and looked down at the counter. I listened as he set the fork aside. I heard the sound of skin on skin as Lacey undoubtedly hit him again, but Seth just took a step closer to me. "So I was thinking," he said, "that it's silly for you to go home every night and have to cook a second dinner for you and your brother."

"Okay?" I said quizzically.

"Next week I'll start back at the store again. But we close at four; I can swing by the high school and grab Jay. You guys can just eat here," he explained. "It will save you dishes at home."

"But then you'll have dishes that you have to do," I countered. Maybe he could just extend my hours. I was working for more than enough pay as it was. But Seth just shrugged, like the thought of my family imposing on space made no difference to him. "I could stay and do the dishes if you'd like."

"We can work it out," he replied, that carefree smile on his face. "Do you guys have any plans for the weekend?" My heart cried _sleep_ but my brain knew that it would never happen. Even with the kids sleeping through more of the night, I was exhausted by the end of the day. Short of a minor miracle, I wouldn't get any more sleep over the weekend than I had during the week.

"How about you?" I asked to avoid the question.

"Nothing special," he replied but there was something in his eyes that said that he had something completely different planned. But I was still distracted by the memory of his arms around me...

And the desire to have it happen again.


	11. Chapter X

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the chapter. There are just a few notes for you guys to have before you read. My pen name will be changing (I'll explain more in the coming weeks). Next, the timetable may have to change. I've been dealing with my family and family comes first. Finally, I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that any questions or concerns that you have can always be PMed to me. That's all, folks. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter X**

Saturday afternoon, I was standing in the kitchen with Westyn on my hip. Seth had taken the contract that we had signed and rewritten it Friday afternoon, before he demanded that I come for dinner the next evening. We could go over the amendments to my contract then. I had thought to just forget about it, but Seth had no intention of letting that happen. When Jay appeared at the house, since he didn't have his after school activity that day, Seth promptly explained that we were to come to dinner the next night. So now, I found myself in the kitchen making chicken pasta salad to bring over to the other house.

I liked being over there. I liked it too much. Since Seth had wrapped me in his arms the previous morning, I couldn't help but think about it. I didn't know how to deal with it, which made it all the more difficult to face him. My face had been on fire the rest of the afternoon. And now I was going to have to deal with it again. I tore my thoughts away from my employer and used my one hand to mix the Italian dressing into my pasta. Westyn kicked his foot out, testing the limits of his mobility. "You are going to be so much trouble," I giggled. The boy looked up at me with wild eyes and a crazy grin. "Oh, good, well at least one of us will enjoy your childhood." The boy, who definitely had my father's restlessness, laughed at me like he'd understood my every word.

"You ready to go?" Jay asked, balancing Wesley on his hip and pushing Lacey alone in the triple stroller.

"Yeah; here, I'll take them. Once you've helped me down the stairs why don't you cover that dish and bring it out to the car," I said. Jay nodded and turned around for the door. I pushed the front door aside and came to the front porch, almost tripping when I came in contact with a ramp instead of the stairs. "When did this happen?" I demanded. I hadn't heard anyone working on our front porch. "Did you do this, Jay?"

"When could I have done this? I was playing with these two," he asked. There was something in his tone that said he knew more than what he was telling me. "You still need my help?"  
I was still staring down at the masterful woodwork that covered my stairs. I shook my head to clear my muddled thoughts and waved my brother away. I balanced both babies in my arms and gently nudged the stroller down the ramp. As I neared the end of the ramp, I stuck my foot out to catch the bar that ran along the bottom of the stroller to pull it to a stop. I noticed that the ramp extended beyond where our stairs would have ended and sloped seamlessly into the concrete. There was no bounce, no lip. It just disappeared.

I told myself to focus on the babies, but as soon as I had them loaded in the car, I was already turning back to the ramp. After a week of loading and unloading the kids by myself, I could easily do it on my own. I opened the doors to the car, glad for the early August warmth. It was warmer here than it usually was at home. Well, in Maine. _This_ was home now. So while the kids entertained each other and I waited for Jay, I was inspecting every square inch. I ran my fingers over the new railings and reinforced posts.

A little black etching caught my eye. It was the same as the etchings on the cradles and the bed set that I'd purchased. Seth. It was his mark. He'd explained it to me before. Something about having customers try and return stuff that wasn't his. It had only happened once, but someone had come in with a wooden headboard that _wasn't_ his and tried to exchange for one that was. It was terrible quality, which was how he knew it wasn't his. Since then, he'd begun branding his work, marking it in places that wouldn't be noticed unless it was pointed out. That story was the only reason that I knew about them.

Now I wish that I didn't. He felt bad for me. He pitied me. The one thing that I had run from had followed me here. The brands were cut off in a way that wasn't aesthetically displeasing. He'd used extras; he'd used scraps because he knew I couldn't pay him for any help. The anger gnawed at me, ate away at my stomach. Hot tears burned my eyes as I thought about it. I would never escape this. People wouldn't look at me and see _me_ anymore. I wasn't Tucker Mills, valedictorian of the school, full ride scholarship student. No; I was Tucker Mills, mother of three raising her kid brother. I was only ever going to be the source of pity.

"You ready to go?" Jay asked. He held the bowl of pasta salad in his hands and cocked his head to the side. He wouldn't understand why I was so upset. Jay knew that I could use some help. I was insistent that he do well in school. I knew how many opportunities that were when you were good at school. They were opportunities that I couldn't give him. So I was going to make sure he gave _himself_ the opportunities. He wasn't around to help me. And he wouldn't understand my anger.

"Yeah, let's go." It was a slow, silent, and slightly tense drive back to the Clearwater house. Jay could tell that I was in a bad mood, but he didn't say anything. With all my experience putting the kids in the car, my brother was able to sit in the front seat again. It was only a minor consolation. Seth thought that I needed help taking care of my children. I wasn't doing a good enough job. Someone that wasn't _living_ in my home saw that I was struggling. All of my worst nightmares were coming to life.

When we pulled up to the house, Seth and Sue were both bolting down the stairs. "Hello, dear," she said as she swept by and kissed my cheek. I was trying to get my kids out, but Sue waved me off. "If your brother will take the boys, I'll take the little princess. My daughter is here with her son so they'll have some friends to play with." She was already lifting Lacey in her arms. The little traitor started chattering away like Sue was her best friend. Jay was already walking away with the two carseats in his hands.

"How are you?" Seth asked. I could see the self-satisfaction in his eyes. My anger, already flaming, exploded. I slammed the car door shut and looked up at him, ignoring his startled expression.

"How could you do that to me?" I snarled.

"I - I... Are you joking again?" he asked timidly.

"You built me a _ramp_?" He balked, clearly taken aback. It took him a moment and then he nodded. "How could you do that to me? Did you think that I couldn't do it on my own? Did you think I couldn't _pay_ you to do it if I wanted it?"

"You're really going to be angry that I helped you?" he asked. "Isn't that what people want? People want help, Tucker. That's all I was trying to do."

"I didn't ask for you help. It's like giving unsolicited advice. I didn't _need_ it. I didn't ask for it," I continued to scream at him.

"Just to be clear, you're angry at me because I built a ramp so that it was safer for you and the kids?"

"You could have just said you think that I'm doing a shit job," I managed. "I know that I'm not doing the best job raising the kids. Don't you think I know that? I didn't need you to point it out to me." I bit my lip and looked away from him, willing my tears to go away. I steeled myself to look at him and hear him tell me how terrible I was. Instead, I found arms wrapped about my waist. I was hauled against his chest, his hand stroking over my frizzy red hair. "I do better with the bandaid approach. Just rip it off and get it over with."

"You misunderstood me and my actions, Tucker," he muttered into my hair. I took in a shuddering breath, my lips quivering. "I _know_ that you don't need help, Tucker. But I also know what you do every day. You come and work for me all day, taking care of me, cooking and cleaning for me. And then you go home and do it all over again at your own home." I picked up his heartbeat underneath my ear. I couldn't help myself from melting in his arms. I anchored myself to his waist and felt his breath hitch. "I know that you have a long day every day. I know that you don't need help. But I like knowing that there was something I could do to make it any easier."

"I guess..." I had overreacted and I knew it. But I couldn't go down without a fight. "I guess thank you for doing that." He raised an eyebrow at me. "You should have told me, Seth. You could have said something to me."

"I didn't want to give you the chance to tell me no," he said. His chuckle rumbled through me. "Looking back at it now, I wish that I had told you something before." He was being so sweet and kind. His hands felt so good playing with my curls. For a brief moment, I felt like everything in my world was going to be okay again. So I let my tears fall from my eyes, trusting his shirt to absorb them.

"I suck at this, Seth. I keep trying and trying and I never seem to get anything right. I can only do so much in a day and by the time that I get finished with the day, I - -"

"Sh, Tuck, it's okay," he murmured low in my ear. "For the record, I think you are incredible with the kids. I've never known one woman who can do all the things that you do. You're incredible, Tucker. It's okay to need help though. Every once in a while, it's okay to decide that you can't do it all and you need help."

"Thanks for the ramp," I coughed out. He laughed again. I felt his chin tuck and warm, soft lips press into my scalp. "I'm sorry that I overreacted to you."

"It's okay," he promised. "I'm glad that you came and attacked me though."

"Really?" I tilted my face up to look at him, leaning against the thick arms that I now had a chance to appreciate. He was so warm, so kind. He held me in a way that promised me forever. "You're glad that I screamed at you?"

"It's better than you locking it all away and not telling me anything. So yeah, I'm glad you yelled at me." I smiled up at him. "You can always come to me, Tucker. Even if you just need someone to yell at, you can come to me. Raising three kids and your brother can't be easy. I just hope that you know that you have someone to come to." I nodded, feeling like maybe, just maybe, I could trust him with all my pain. Maybe he could make it all go away. "Let's head inside. I'm sure you want to check on those babies." And I just nodded and let him drag me away.

* * *

**LillyZ: Thanks for your review. To answer your question: no, this story has nothing to do with the death in my family. It was a second cousin that I wasn't very close with. She was intoxicated and ended up drowning while swimming. In all honesty, I don't really remember her. But her husband isn't very good with children, so my mother and I have been up at their home trying to help out however we could. My mother and great aunt are struggling, so I've needed to be there for them. Thank you for your sympathy and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	12. Chapter XI

**Author's Note: Okay here's the newest chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. We should be able to get back to our regular daily update. I'm finally moving out of the house that I was living in to help my cousin's husband with his kids. Either way, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XI:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

It was supposed to bring her an unexpected pleasure, not some kind of confusion. "You could have just said you think I'm doing a shit job," she choked out. I could hear the sobs being suppressed in her throat. "I know that I'm not doing the best job raising the kids. Don't you think _I_ know that? I didn't need you to point it out to me." Her voice quivered and cracked again. I knew nothing but pain. That wasn't what I was trying to say to her. I was just trying to take some of the burden away from her.

I was horrified when she tried to hide again. I couldn't let her do that. She made me sound like some uncaring lout and I was the farthest thing from it. It was just another thing to add to my list of deeds needed to make her happy. All I had to do was overcome her trust issues, find solutions to all her problems, and _apparently_ show her that I cared at the same time. Easy enough. I suppose I could start with the last of those demands.

I wrapped one arm around her waist and hauled her to my chest while she was still turned away. Once I was sure that she was secure, safe, hidden in my embrace, I added the other arm to the equation. I was going to have to explain things, but it felt so good to have her in my arms. I almost did want to break the pleasure of the moment. She smelled so sweet, so kind. "I do better with the bandaid approach," she muttered. "Just rip it off and get it over with." I sighed; my moment was gone.

"You misunderstood me and my action, Tucker," I breathed into her red hair. She was the last thing that I would have asked for, but now that I was getting to know her, now that I was seeing her daily, I wouldn't ask for anyone else. I took a quick peek down to see her lips trembling with more swallowed tears. "I _know_ that you don't need help Tucker." I also knew that she wasn't Super Woman. "But I also know what you do every day. You come and work for me all day, taking care of me, cooking and cleaning for me." If truth be told, I was looking forward to the day when I didn't pay her in money for it. I wanted to hold her all night long and whisper my thanks. "And then you go home and do it all over again at you own home."

I would be so much easier when she was living with me. When she only had to cook and clean at _one_ house, the one that was to be her home. I didn't change anything in the way that I was holding her, but I felt the shift in her. She rested her cheek against my chest and tentatively brought her arms about my waist, holding me close. Like the air leaking from a tire, the tension drained from her until there was nothing left. "I know that you have a long day every day. I know that you don't need help. But I like knowing that there was something I could do to make it any easier."

"I guess," she trailed off. Whether she knew it or not, she began rubbing her face against the fabric of my shirt. "I guess thank you for doing that." She _guessed_? "YOu should have told me, Seth. You could have said something to me."

"I didn't want to give you the chance to tell me no." Clearly that was wrong. "Looking back at it now, I wish that I had told you something before." I suppose that was what our relationship would be. It was have to be trial and error until I figured this out. The thought was somehow terrifying and yet, I couldn't help the thrill that exulted through me. I busied myself with her red curls before I did something that I would sorely regret. Something more than tension eased out of her. She sank down further in my arms.

And then the smell of salt water assailed my nose. She was crying? I hadn't meant to cause her such pain. I was just trying to help. And she had thanked me. None of this was making any sense. Who knew that women were so freaking complicated? "I suck at this, Seth." She was doing quite fine. She even managed a mangled apology. I had an inkling that was the best I could ask from her. "I keep trying and trying and I never seem to get anything right. I can only do so much in a day and by the time that I get finished with the day, I - -"

"Sh, Tuck, it's okay." My brain was already turning, trying to figure out how I could make her day at work with me just a little easier. Truth me told, we didn't need any new product at the store. We just needed someone to be there during the day. And Leah had taken over the early morning shift. In reality, the only time that I needed to be there was while I was waiting for Jay to finish with school. The boy was doing fine working and earning a paycheck. "For the record, I think you are incredible with the kids. I've never known one woman who can do all the things that you do." My own mother couldn't. She'd commented many times that she was impressed with Tucker's energy and abilities to deal with the kids. "You're incredible, Tucker. It's okay to need help, though. Every once in a while, it's okay to decide that you can't do it all and you need help." And when she did, I was more than willing to be right there and figure out how to fix it all.

"Thanks for the ramp." It was rough and definitely covered in tears. It tugged at my heart. I kissed her hair, wishing that I could kiss _her_ instead. It was terrible, really. I felt like I had waited forever for this woman. Now that she was here, I was getting impatient. "I'm sorry that I overreacted to you."

"It's okay. I'm glad that you came and attacked me, though." And I was, in all honesty. She could have just bottled it all inside her.

"Really?" She looked up at me and I had to actually count to ten before I could answer her. Her lips were so beautifully pink, begging to be kissed. I couldn't. She would be scared off. "You're glad that I screamed at you?"

"It's better than you locking it all away and not telling me anything. So yeah, I'm glad you yelled at me." She beamed at me. I couldn't resist tucking a strand of hair away from her cheek. God forbid something obscured my vision of her face. "You can always come to me, Tucker. Even if you just need someone to yell at, you can come to me. Raising three kids and your brother can't be easy. I just hope that you know that you have someone to come to." For anything, my heart screamed at me. She could come to be for whatever she needed. "Let's head inside." I traced the line down her arm to her hand and wound our fingers together. "I'm sure you want to check on those babies."

As I had assumed, my mother, Jay, and Leah were sitting on the blanket in the backyard, playing with the babies. Luke and Lacey were happily slapping each other on the thigh, laughter drifting between them. Leah's eye met mine as I came upon them hand in hand with Tucker. She turned to Nate. Wordlessly, Nate took hold of Luke and freed Leah up to come and meet my imprint. My sister was overprotective like no one before her. She was already concerned about my imprint _not_ being Native. "Leah, this is Tucker Mills, my house manager. Tucker, this is my sister, Leah Crowe."

Tucker reached her right hand out to Leah, his left gripping mine a little stronger. She was relying on me, silently trusting me to help her, to be there for her. It made my heart burst. "It's very nice to meet you," she said. I picked up a slight accent, a little tone in her voice that was different from the ones that I heard here in La Push. "I see you've already been acquainted with my little monsters."

Leah laughed, the worry draining from her. "They're beautiful. They look just like their mother." Tucker smiled and nodded in a way that had me doubting whether or not she was truly okay. Couple with the fact that her hand was squeezing mine in what would have been a death grip to a normal human, and I was certain something was wrong. "Dark hair, though?"

"It's a family trait. We - - I was just the oddball in the family." We who? What had happened? Why could this just be easy? Well, obviously her mother and father were dead. That would explain how she'd come to take custody of Jameson. Maybe her mother'd had red hair. But she was so sad, something that radiating deeper than anything I had seen. "Your son is adorable," she said after a few long moments.

"He seems to get along well with yours," Leah replied. "Seth could I just have a second of your time. It's work stuff." Tucker murmured something about understand, but made no move to walk away from me.

I dipped and kissed her cheek, praying that she wouldn't kill me for it. "I'll be right over there," I promised. Her eyes were alight with shock, but I didn't see any anger in them. She nodded and sauntered off, me still staring after her.

"Okay, lover boy, I know that you're happy but have you thought at all about what it means that she has four kids," Leah said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I have. I'm excited for it," I replied. "I'm tired of being the one without an imprint and plans and kids and all of that. I get her and four kids. It's like a jumpstart." I was laughing and grinning, my joy at the moment overwhelming. I was going to get everything that I asked for, everything that I had dreamt of.

"Seth, you have to be realistic. Somewhere out there is a man who didn't want something to do with her. Doesn't that say that there might be something to look out for?"

"Do you not like her, Leah? Is that what this is?" I asked, keeping the teasing lilt to my voice.

"I like her just seems to know what she's doing with the kids and from what I've heard from Mom, she's very responsible." Leah sighed heavily. "I just feel like something is off. That's all. There's something that we're not being told and I want to know what that is." She wasn't the only one. The difference was that I had patience.

I hoped.


	13. Chapter XII

**Author's Note: I know, there's a new pen name. I promise that I will explain in the next couple of weeks. It will (hopefully) benefit all of my most loyal readers! Anyways, here's the newest chapter. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XII**

My life had fallen into an easy routine in the weeks that came. Jay was doing well in school, enjoying his after school club. I was glad; it gave him somewhere to go and something to do after school everyday while I was getting off of work. Like Seth had suggested, Jay came straight to the house after he was done with his day. Seth would bring him home on his way home from the shop every night. My nephews and niece were getting huge, eating more solid foods, crawling around of their own power now. Seth seemed to be endlessly entertained by them. He would play with the boys for hours on end. I had noticed that he was staying home with us more and more, going into work for only a few hours every day. I couldn't complain, though. I liked having him around more than I should.

As a family, we ate dinner at the Clearwater house six nights out of the week. The babies were still taking naps, which I suppose should be a blessing. But there was so much to prepare, things to worry about, jobs to be done. I never found time to relax. It had been almost six weeks since we had moved to Washington and I still felt overwhelmed. Sure, my life had found a rhythm, a gentle swing that made it easier to _get_ through the day. At the end of the day, though, I was only _getting through._ Days upon days, hour after hour were making me weary. And I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it off.

I marched into the house a few weeks after my first Saturday dinner at the Clearwater's. Lacey was screaming in her stroller seat, begging to be let out. I couldn't keep fighting with her, and she was still an infant, only coming up on six months old. Of course, her tears quickly brought Wesley to screams. He wanted his sister to shut her mouth and stop the waterworks for just a few moments. Of course, Westyn was content with his pacifier. Their personalities were becoming more prevalent. Their slaps that used to be light had suddenly become slightly painful and more demanding.

Seth was particularly chipper when I walked in. Which only made my bad mood a little worse. Why was it that everyone else was in such a good mood while I just wanted to crawl into a deep dark whole and sleep for the next year or so? "Who put a bee in your bonnet?" he asked when I just grumbled a response to his morning greeting.

"People don't talk like that anymore," I snapped. "Excuse me." I had piled my curls atop my head, hoping to keep the offending red out of my line of sight. It would only serve to remind me of my mother and sister. With a cloud as black as mine hanging over my head, it was best to keep anything else from darkening it. I shoved passed Seth and into the room that we had set up for the kids. I lifted the kids into their new little buggies. They were some seats that my sister had bought, but they hadn't been old enough to use yet. Now, they were my saving grace. They were small enough that I could haul them out to the kitchen, but somehow entertaining enough that the kids were content to stay in them for a couple of hours.

"What's got you all angry?" In the month and a half that I had been working for him, I had never seen Seth _not_ smiling. I had grown to love the carefree smile. It warmed my heart and made everything feel a little lighter in a world that was as heavy as mine. Today, however, I was in such a poor mood that I couldn't even stand to look at him. He was smiling at me, trying to charm me with that damned grin. It just wasn't working.

"Life, Seth. Not all of us get to live in this carefree world that you live in," I snarled. I knew that I was being unfair. Seth's world was far from carefree. He worked harder than anyone that I had ever met. He clearly had two jobs, although I didn't know what the second one was. He stayed up with me and the kids most of the day. He took care of his mother and helped out with his nephew. He was a great uncle, a good brother, and a phenomenal son. But he was _always_ smiling. It was like he couldn't find something to be angry about at the end of the day. "I'm sorry." Tears were threatening, trying to push me over the edge. "That was rude of me. I didn't mean it Seth."

"It's okay, Tuck," he promised. "Are you feeling okay?" No; my stomach felt like I being tossed about a dryer. My head felt like someone was beating it with a hammer from the inside. I just wanted to sleep for a few weeks. I nodded though, so that Seth wouldn't know just how much I was struggling. There were plenty of people who took care of four kids daily, worked, and slept just as little as I did. I didn't hear any of them complaining. "You look tired," he said. In another unbidden action, Seth reached up and brushed a finger underneath my eyes. He was probably tracing the dark circles that lingered there. "Can I help you with anything?"

"You've already given me a job, repaired my porch stairs, fixed my railings, and figured out what's wrong with my dishwasher. What else can you _possibly_ do for me, Seth?" I demanded.

"Anything you need," he replied. He had a bad habit of finding little reasons to touch me. He'd come up behind me when I was working in the kitchen and say that he needed to grab something. He'd pass me a plate of food, taking longer than necessary to exchange them from one hand to the other. The one thing that he hadn't done, however, was hold me tight to his chest. Not since my first little breakdown about the porch stairs. "I want to help you with everything, Tucker."

I couldn't stop myself from lifting my hand to my hair and digging in. I tugged at my ringlets a little, focusing on that minor pain instead of my misery. I had to get this right for Sam and Mama and my father. Jay's life was never going to be normal, but I had to give him something better than what we'd had. Seth's arms wrapped around me just in time, holding me up when I could feel the energy starting to drain from me. "You're trying to do too much," he whispered.

"I'm trying to do what I _need_ to do, Seth." I sounded desperate even to my own ears, though. His hand stroked my hair and back, like he had the night so many weeks. "I have to do right by the kids."

"You are," he promised. "You just don't have to do it by yourself."

"I can't ask Jay -"

"I wasn't talking about your brother," he cut in. "My mother absolutely adores those kids. My sister and her husband like you. Luke can always use a friend to play with. I'm here. If you asked my mother to come and sit with the kids for half an hour so that you could nap, she would probably die of joy. She lives to take care of someone."

"She hired _me_ to take care of you," I pointed out.

"Because she's taking care of another person. She's just shifted her focus," he replied. "We're willing to help you. And I have friend that you can meet, friends that have kids and want kids and could help you. We're family out here. We stand together."

"I'm not part of that family, Seth." He opened his mouth like he really wanted to say something but decided against it. "Besides, I don't know any of them."

"But you know me. And I like to think that you trust me, right?" I couldn't help but nod. I did trust him. He'd proven that he was sweet and loyal and kind. "When you need help, you can come to me, okay?"

"You have work."

"Tucker, I will never be too busy to help you. Work be damned." His phone rang out, the ominous _Jaws_ theme shouting through the air. "What do you want Leah?" There was a pause while he waited for her to answer. "I can come in for an hour or so and then I have stuff here that I need to take care of." Another silent wait. "Don't start with me. I've won these arguments since we were kids." I could almost make out the words from Leah's voice. "Okay, bye." He sighed heavily and rested his chin against my hair. I had forgotten that I was in his arms. My eyes had drifted closed, my head had fallen against his chest. I could hear the kids gurgling behind me, happily talking to each other in their own little language. "I have to go to the shop really quick. I'll be back in time for lunch, okay?" I nodded again, forcing my lids open and stepping away from his embrace. "Call me if you need anything."

"Yes, Seth. I promise." I locked the door after him and strode back into the kitchen, feeling a little more refreshed and slightly less hostile towards the world. I would have to thank him for being there for me. Food; that was the way to Seth's heart. Deciding that I would make him some good crab cakes, I began searching the cupboards for the things that I needed feeling slightly smug. I knew good seafood; I was from Maine, after all. Westyn shouted at me, suddenly. "I hear you little dude," I promised. He chattered on. I kept replying to him until Wesley joined in as well. I turned to check on them, almost entertained by the bored expression on Lacey's face.

My stomach boiled, my morning coffee churning in my stomach. I rushed over to the bathroom, barely managing to make it to the toilet before I lost what little there was in my stomach. I marched back to the kitchen, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. "Full day's work left ahead of me, huh little ones?" I asked then as I passed the by to get to the sink and wash my hands in the kitchen. I threw up twice after that, but managed to get the house cleaned and Seth's lunch cooked. I was putting the babies down for their naps when my stomach started yelling at me again. I placed a hand to my head to stop the world from spinning around me. I gagged, trying to swallow what was now only bile. The spinning continued faster and fast and faster...

_"Tucker?"_


	14. Chapter XIII

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter in this story. Thank you for all the support! A new timetable is up on my profile (effective Sunday). Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XIII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

My imprint looked like she wanted to fall down on her face. Her eyes were ringed with the darkest circles that I had ever seen. I thought she was going to cry. Her beautiful blue orbs were flooded with unshed tears. When Leah called and asked me to come to the shop so that she could take Luke to the doctor's, I almost told her to have Nate go. My imprint needed me. I wasn't sure what I could do to help her, but I knew that she needed _something_. But I had to leave; I had to go and take care of my business so that I could keep taking care of her. An hour away wouldn't ruin either one of us.

After making her promise to call me, I took off. "How are you?" Leah asked with innocence when I came into the shop moments later. I just glared at her. "Oh, don't give me that look. I need your help."

"So did she," I argued. She just didn't know how much she needed me. "Whatever, Lee, get out of here. You've got one hour."

"Grumpy little brother," she mumbled as she placed Luke in his stroller and mumbled to the little boy as she walked away. I really didn't do much in the hour that was gone. I carved little toys for the boys out of boredom. I could feel a restless gnawing at my gut, a thought that something was going to go wrong any second. It seemed like it had been ages, when in fact Leah had come back early, that I was being released. "What do you think is going to happen to her if you're not there every single day?" she asked in jest.

"I seem to remember a girl who wanted to be with her imprint every waking moment of the day," I reminded her. "Besides, your imprint wasn't dealing with four kids. You didn't see her this morning, Leah."

"My imprint has PTSD, brat. Don't act like I had it easy," she laughed. It was amazing that she was able to actually laugh about it. At the time, it wasn't at all entertaining. Leah had tried to figure out how to deal with it. What did it matter? Ultimately she had married the man. So all was well. But I still had so much learning to do, so much figuring out, as it were. The only way to do that was to be with her. "Oh God, get out of here you lovesick puppy dog. Tucker is waiting at home with your food and blah, blah, blah." I smiled at her, dipped to kiss her cheek, smacked a kiss on Luke's and bounded out the door.

I had to actually stop myself from throwing the door open. There were lingering smells of crab coming from he house, but they mingled with her wonderfully decadent scent. "Honey, I'm home," I muttered under my breath, wishing that I could say the words a little louder. "Tucker, I'm back." There was no reply, which was strange in itself. Normally the babies were cooing and chattering, Tucker was replying, and the sound of something or another cooking was all around us. "Tucker?"

I could hear little heartbeats in the room that the babies used as their own. I knew that it would be wrong, but I couldn't stop myself from looking at the bedroom and imagine refitting it for Jay. The boy needed a room that he could outfit, one that he could decorate and make his own. He needed something stable. There were three other bedrooms upstairs. The master suite was mine and Tuck's, even if she didn't know it yet. Lacey would need her own room, being the only little girl in a house full of men. Of course, Tuck and I could remedy that. I couldn't squelch the wicked smile that formed on my lips at the thought. "Tucker, where are you?" I called louder.

A thud sounded from the upstairs. "Tucker?" I called again. She must have dropped something. Still, fear gnawed at my gut. I took the stairs two by two. Wisps of red hair met my gaze, teasing from the corner that led to my bedroom. "Oh God," I breathed. The creamy white skin of her arm glinted at me, her hand lying limply by her hair. She looked like she was merely resting peacefully. The exhaustion that I'd seen on her face, however, told me it was likely more. I gripped her shoulder and gently shook it. "Tucker, sweetheart, wake up." She didn't even twitch.

A little cry from the bedroom downstairs told me that one of the boys was awake. The rational side of my brain told me that I could put her in a bed, go grab the infants, and call my mother. I had been exhausted many times in the last few years, usually from late night patrols and school and battles. But I had never had to deal with someone else being exhausted. My mother had always let me sleep it off. Still, as a nurse, she would know what to do about the girl.

Levering a hand between her and my carpeting, I lifted her to my chest. As if she understood that she was safe in my arms, my imprint turned her face towards my chest and sighed. She was far too tired. "I should have never let it get this far," I muttered to myself. I was supposed to be a protector, I was supposed to take care of her. I gathered her a little closer, raising her so that her sweet smelling hair was touching my nose.

I started towards the stairs when another wicked little thought halted my steps. My bed _was_ the most comfortable in the house. And if the girl was going to rest up and get her sleep, she might as well get the most out of it that she could. Was it really so wrong if that position just _happened_ to put her into my bed? And if I just happened to derive pleasure from that... there couldn't possibly be harm in that. So I wheeled around and started towards the bedroom, mentally preparing myself from what would undoubtedly come when I had her lying in my bed, my scent mingling with hers.

Nothing, however, could have prepared me for her reaction. I lowered her to the bed, the cool sheets stirring up my scent. As I made to remove my arms, however, Tucker wound her own around my neck, a nearly silent whimper rising in her throat. She clutched at me. "Seth," she murmured in delirium. I almost lost my head. She was dreaming about me, relying on me somewhere in the recesses of her mind.

"Let go, Tucker," I commanded quietly. She whined a little louder this time, the sound going straight to my heart. "I have to go get the babies, Tuck. You have to let go so I can go take care of your babies."

"Sam." She thrashed her head, a tear slipping from her eyes in unconsciousness. I kissed the little drop of liquid away before another, stronger cry hit my ears. She needed sleep and the babies needed tending. "Sammy, Mama!" she called out. Whoever this Sam was, they were important to her. Which meant that I wanted to know.

"It's okay, Tucker. I'm here," I promised her. "I'll be back in just a few. It's going to be okay." With another kiss to her forehead, she finally released me. As I thundered down the stairs to the infants' room, I was already dialing. "Hey, Ma," I called into the phone. Wesley had rolled himself over onto his belly and was slapping at the bottom of his playpen. He looked up at realized that I was there, a smile lighting his face. "I need your help."

"What's going on Seth?" she asked, clearly bored with the conversation. I wondered what I had been interrupting, but only felt the selfish need to have _my_ imprint taken care of.

"I need you. Tucker passed out, Ma. She's so exhausted, but she's having nightmares." Or memories. I wasn't sure. But I did know that something was plaguing her.

"Oh, Seth -"

"Mom, I need to take care of her. I _need_ to care for her. Please; will you please come and take care of the kids?"

"Of course," she said. I heard the jangling of keys on the other end as she grabbed her things and started towards her car. "Ten minutes, Seth. Okay?" It was the best that I could ask for. I gave my acceptance and lifted Wesley and a rousing Westyn in my arms. Lacey had shoved her hand in her mouth and was content eating her fingers.

"Hey boys," I greeted. "Your mama's been trying too hard to take care of you, huh?" I asked them. Westyn slapped my chest in response, causing Wesley to laugh. At least they were unaware of the trouble that had hit their little family. "Who's Sammy little man?" I asked Wesley.

"Dah-bah-bah-lah," he replied. That was probably the best that I could ask for from the boy that was less than a year old.

"Oh yeah?"

"Bah-bah-lah," Westyn cut in. And suddenly I found myself in the middle of an argument that I couldn't understand. Wesley responded in kind.

I stooped and placed the two of them on entertainment mats that Tucker had brought over before quite literally sprinting back to the other room and grabbing Lacey. It wasn't the best parenting, but it was the best that I could do while waiting for my mother. She arrived shortly after I had Lacey on her own mat. The kids were playing happily, but I was only barely watching them. My eyes kept straying up the stairs to where I knew my imprint lie. I wanted to know that she was safe. "A little fresh air will do them some good, don't you think?" Ma asked.

I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest at the prospect of being alone with my imprint for any amount of time. My mother was talking to the children as she buckled them in the triple stroller and walked outside. "We'll be back." I handed her the diaper bag, thinking then about the babies feeding. "I know how to care for a baby, Seth. There's formula and all that in the bag. Don't you worry yourself," Mom said as if she'd read my thoughts. "Go care for your girl."

I waited until I heard the door close to bolt up the stairs. Tucker was thrashing and quietly muttering to herself. I settled myself on the bed beside her. "No, you can't," she moaned. My heart broke. "David." She shuddered. I shifted closer to her. "No, David, please." I hushed her and gently brushed the arm lying over my blanket. She sighed and turned her face towards my hips. "Seth."

Now there were just too many questions in my brain. Who were these people that she was talking about? "Seth." I looked down to check on her, intent on making sure that she wasn't having a nightmare when I realized her crystal blue eyes were staring at me, hazed with exhaustion. She wasn't really awake, not all the way at least. She shoved herself up until she was sitting up and her head was lying on my shoulder. "Don't go." Her hand twined around my shirt as if she would hold me captive, trying to bind herself to me.

If she only knew how tightly we were bound.


	15. Chapter XIV

**Author's Note: I know that it may seem short, but this was the most logical place pull split them up. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XIV**

For the first time since I had come to La Push, Washington, I felt safe. The warmth that surrounded me was amazing. I turned over, intent on bringing the blanket with me. However, I found myself pinned to the mattress. I'd just wanted to roll towards the wall. It was so hot and hard, but at the same time soft and promising.

That was all it took for me to remember that feeling. Seth. Much as I was loath to admit it, there was something about Seth Clearwater that made me feel protected and cherished. I wriggled in his arms now, determined to see his face. Thrashing about a bit afforded me enough space to roll over. "It's okay, Tucker," he breathed still half asleep. "I'm right here."

What had I been saying in my sleep? Or was it just Seth's nature to give comfort so readily? His eyes were closed, his head leaning back against the headboard. I was lying on my side, my head pillowed on his lower ribcage and my hand resting on his sternum. I could feel an arm wrapped about my waist, see where it joined his other hand. With the fingers that weren't trapped between us I began drawing on his chest. Childish though it was, I wrote my name matched with his surname. I drew hearts around it, a couple of stars. It was a silly notion, truly. I was far too old to be doing such a juvenile thing.

But in my dreams, I'd heard voices imploring me to trust, begging me to love. Sometimes it was Seth's voice, but most of the time I heard my sister and my mother telling me that not everything was evil. Seth had proven that he could be trusted. He'd shown it in his care of me, in his watchfulness of my children, in his friendship with my brother. I didn't want to admit that I needed help, but I did. Seth could help me with the kids. And it couldn't hurt to have another person to watch out for David. "Seth?"

He blinked and smiled drowsily at me. "Tucker," he breathed. My name was whispered like a prayer or praise. The air in my lungs hung suspended. All at once, his eyes opened wide and a sparkle lit their dark brown. "You're awake." I shifted and swallowed a groan. My shoulder hurt, like there was a deep bruise. "You hurt your shoulder when you fell," he muttered.

"I fell?" He nodded solemnly. I could recall the faint memories of exhaustion, of the world spinning around me. "I passed out?" Again, he just nodded. Who knows how long I'd been out. "The kids, Seth. I need to go find -"

"They're with my mom and Jay. I called her after I found you. She brought them and Jay over to your house after he was finished to school. He's helping her out," he promised. Sue had raised two kids, one of whom I was especially fond of. And with my brother there to help her out, everything would be okay. "Go back to sleep, Tucker. For a couple of hours, okay?"

"There are several problems with that," I yawned. Seth chuckled at me. I couldn't stop myself from finding a more comfortable spot along his chest. "The first is that I'm kind of starving." As if on cue, my stomach began rumbling. "The next problem is that I'm far too comfortable. If I sleep right now, I won't be able to stay awake long enough to tell you what I need to."

I heard his heart stutter under my ear. Warm breath rushed passed my ear. "What is it that you need to tell me?" he murmured.

"Well, see, that's the last reason that I can't go back to sleep. I need to tell you something, or I guess explain something to you." He looked down at me with something I couldn't name.

"Let's get you something to eat, first," he said. "And don't think for one second that you're cooking." With that final declaration, he scooped me up against his chest stood. "You good to walk?"

For the first time in four months, the simple question didn't flare my indigence, but rather made me feel like there was someone who wasn't out to attack me. So I nodded, but once I was down on the ground, I took hold of his hand. He stared down at me, a million questions in his eyes. I had so many answers that I needed to give him. "I would suggest some of those delicious crab cakes you made, but I - uh - I ate them." I couldn't stop the smile from blooming. "What recipe was that?"

"My mom's." His eyes went wide while he tried to figure out what to say next. "Seth, before we eat could we talk?" He nodded eagerly. He led me down to the kitchen table and let me take a seat.

"I should start by thanking you for taking care of the kids after I fell," I began, swallowing hard. "And - - and me, Seth. Thank you for taking care of me. It's not something that I'm used too; especially not now. I think... maybe, if you want, that is, I could tell you more about things." I sighed, knowing that I was going to end up crying by the time I was finished.

"Tucker, everyone makes mistakes. You don't owe me anything, least of all an explanation. It doesn't matter what you did or what happened. You can't change that," he said but I could see his eyes burning for answers. "Good things come from bad situations, Tucker. Look at your babies." My eyes filled with tears, thinking if the words my mother had said to my sister that echoed in Seth's.

"I've been - - I've been lying to you, Seth." He jerked back like he'd been burnt. "Not lying necessarily. I just let you believe whatever you've thought." The flame in his eye died a little and he took a step closer to me. "I've never met anyone like you, Seth. I'm afraid that if I let you be a part of my life, you'll get hurt." Everyone else I'd truly relied on had been hurt.

"Tucker, you're scaring me," he replied. "Is something coming after you?" I snorted and swallowed hard. Of course the boy was worried about me and my kids. What else could I expect from the most honorable man I had ever met. "Tucker?"

"The kids aren't mine," I sobbed.

"What?" I repeated the statement, feeling the first if my tears fall. "But they look just like you. Jay says they're his niece and nephews. How can they not be yours?"

I licked my lips and took a deep breath to steady myself. "I had a family," I began. "Like a whole one with a mom and a father and everything." I choked out a laugh. "Back before the babies were born, I had a normal life. Well, sort of."

Seth's fingers swept under my eyes to rid me of my tears. "I doubt you're the type to do anything illegal. You don't have to tell me, Tucker. It's all going to work out." He tried to pull me into his arms but I fought. He had to know. The people who cared about me died. The people who knew my secrets ended up buried.

"No, Seth, you need to understand. My dad died when I was little," I said, bracing myself against his arms to look up at him. "It was the first one that was my fault." He frowned. "My father was a firefighter. When 9/11 happened, he was in New York. He was there, getting stuff together for our move. We were supposed to get out of Maine. Dad was worried about hurricanes and him being in a work week. It was all so silly. Mom said that it was an excuse because she'd always wanted to move to the city. He went into the building and tried to pull people out. He died there."

His hand smoothed over my curls, his arms trying to pull me closer. "I'm so sorry, Tucker. I lost my dad when I was fifteen. I would never wish that pain on anyone."

"It was my fault, Seth. Mama asked me to go with him and I said no. They made me go anyways. Said it was good for us to get out of town for a little while. But everything that we'd done was so boring. I walked away, I don't remember why. People who survived said that Dad asked if they'd seen me. He went looking for me. And died because of it."

"Tucker, it wasn't your fault. You were just a kid," he soothed. He tried again to pull me to his chest.

"No, Seth. Wait. My dad was only the first," I whispered. Tears ran in little rivers down my cheeks. "I killed my mom and sister, too."


	16. Chapter XV

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XV**

I told him everything, every last detail. I kept talking until I was sobbing in his arms and relying on him to hold me up. "The last thing that my sister told me was that she hated me," I admitted finally. "It's my fault that she died. She was so upset with the things that I'd said, she wasn't focusing on the road." It didn't matter that some irresponsible dolt had been drinking and swerved into my sister's lane. "She didn't see the guy coming because she was venting to my mother about the things that I'd said. I killed my mom and my sister."

"Sh, Tucker," he muttered. His hand rubbed up and down my back, tripping over my spine. "A drunk driver killed your mom and your sister. Your father died a hero, saving people because he knew that's what was right. You said yourself that people who survived said your dad was looking for you. He pulled people out, Tucker. People _lived_ because of him. He is a hero in every sense of the word." His cheek felt heavy against my hair, holding me in place. I didn't want to move. I liked where I was.

"My sister's boyfriend, the kids' father, is a bad man, Seth. His name's David. He used to hurt my sister, do things to her to break her down. It was nothing physical, but you could tell when Sammy started to pul back." Seth was already bristling. I couldn't say that I was surprised. A boy as sweet as Seth would never understand why someone would belittle their girlfriend the way David had. "When Sammy got pregnant, even before we knew that it was multiples, David said that he wanted nothing to do with her."

"The kids are your sister's?" I nodded. "That would explain why Jay feels like he's not lying."

"David fought me for custody, Seth. That's why we've been lying. The last thing that he said before we left Maine was 'It doesn't matter where you go. I'll find you and I'll find my kids.'" I was actually allowing myself to cling to him, to hope that he would be the one to help me. "He can't have those kids, Seth. He's got drug problems and mental issues. He drinks and - - and ... If we let him have the kids, he'll break them apart just like he did Sammy. He didn't want anything to do with the kids before they were born."

"It's okay," he interrupted as I was growing hysterical. "Hush, Tucker," he muttered against my hair. "We're going to fix this." _We_. I don't think that a single word had ever made such a difference in my life. The two letters said that I wasn't alone in this world. "I won't let anything happen to you or your kids," he whispered. "We'll figure this out, okay? I have friends who want to meet you, friends who are willing to help you. They'll make sure that no one who even looks like David gets on the Rez."

"How are we going to do that, Seth?" Why would his friends want to help me?

"We're going to start by getting you some food," he announced. "You'll eat and then go back to bed for a while."

"But -"

"You need sleep, Tucker. There are no children to wake you. There are no responsibilities for you to take care of. You need to sleep, sweetheart," he said.

"But - "

"I won't talk to you about anything else until you've eaten and we're back in bed," he cut in. I was practically force fed left over chicken salad that I had made for lunch the previous day. Then Seth was gently ushering me up the stairs and back into the room that I recognized as his. I wanted to tell him that I could sleep on the floor or on the couch or something, but it was too late. He was already pressing me down into the feathered softness of his mattress. He crawled in after me settled himself beside me, not touching me for the first time since I'd woken up. "Are you okay?"

"What's wrong?" I asked him, rolling towards him feeling suddenly drowsy.

"I'm worried," he said slowly.

"About?"

"About you, about the kids, about your brother. I don't like the idea of you guys being in any danger," he replied.

"You've got a big heart, Seth Clearwater. You care about everything, don't you?" He just snorted in response and muttered something that I didn't quite hear.

"Get some rest Tucker," he whispered in response.

I rolled myself over so that I was lying closer to him than I had been all morning. He inched his way down the bed until our heads and shoulders were aligned. "Will you hold me, Seth? Like the - - like you did earlier," I breathed. I heard his breath catch in his throat as he worked for his response. Finally, he just nodded and pulled me into his arm. My nose was rubbing against his sternum. "I know that I shouldn't, but I like it when you hold me like this."

His breathing was strained as he asked me, "Why shouldn't you like it?"

"Clearly you still don't get it," I muttered, exhaustion settling back over me like a warm blanket. Although nothing was as warm or as comfortable as Seth's arm wrapped around me. "People who I care about, people who rely on me, they end up dead. I've already got three bodies on my hands. I've got four lives _in_ my hands. I can't be responsible for another person. If you - - If I killed you, too, Seth..." I looked down at the sliver of bed that was between us.

"You're not going to -"

"You're the closest thing to a superhero that I could ever conjure up, Seth. Despite my better judgement, I like you. A lot." A smile that rivaled the sun's light beamed down at me. "But I have three babies, Seth. Three innocent children that have already lost everything once before. I couldn't - - I can't put someone in their lives who might walk out. I'm not any easy person to live with. I have too many things up in the air. It will only be a matter of time before you realize that giving your life up for four kids and the girl responsible for them. Then you'll be out of their lives and I'll be picking up the pieces again."

He grumbled something under his breath again, something that sounded eerily like a negation to what I was saying. I was right, though. Those kids weren't even a year old and they weren't going to understand why their lives were so different from those of their friends. I was drifting off, happy and content in his arms when he spoke again. "I have a solution, Tucker." I hummed to tell him to continue. "To the problem you have with completely relying on me."

"I trusted you enough to tell you about my past," I whispered.

He bent over and kissed my forehead with a sweetness I hadn't known existed. "I thank you for that. I will never betray your trust, Tucker. I want you to know that I can protect you and your 're going to have to give me just a little leap of faith here, Tuck." I nodded, feeling the smooth skin of his bicep slide against the skin of my cheek. I liked lying here far more than I should. I could easily picture lying in this bed ever night for the rest of my life. I could imagine the boys and Lacey coming bounding in our room on a Christmas morning, telling us to wake up and get out of bed for their presents. "I want to be a part of your lives, all of yours. I want to be there while I can. They're still young, Tucker. If you're really afraid of the things that I might come to realize, isn't now the best time to give it a shot? Now? While the kids are too young to figure out what it all means?"

"They have enough instability in their lives for a while," I replied. But he was right. If I waited much longer, they would start to understand that Seth was a part of their lives. They would be devastated when he came to his sense again.

"Get some sleep, Tucker," he whispered. "I'll still be here when you wake up, okay?" I nodded again, but in my head I already knew that it wouldn't happen. I couldn't risk my relationship with Seth by having a relationship with Seth. He kissed my forehead again and let me be, freeing me to rest without interruption.

I heard his breathing turn deep, my name muttered under his breath a few times, his snores carrying through the air. I closed my eyes, drawing forth images of my sister and my mother. In my mind's eye, a face that mirrored my own stared at me with a bright smile. _Trust him, Tucker_, she implored._ Give in and trust him._


	17. Chapter XVI

**Author's Note: Okay I am still in the process of moving. Here's the next chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XVII**

When I finally woke up, light was streaming in through Seth's bedroom window. He was stretched out alongside me, his breathing even and warm against my neck. He had woken with me each time that I had roused, shifting and moving until I found another comfortable position. A little cooing noise from between drew my attention. Westyn lie in between the two of us, his infant fist curled around Seth's shirt. Wesley was on his other arm, the babe's bottom lying in the crook of his elbow. I suppose it was a good thing that Seth was such an immobile sleeper. Lacey was lying on his chest, curled up without moving.

I had pillowed my face on his forearm, my arms lying between myself and Westyn's little body. We looked like some semblance of a family, sitting all curled up on a big bed. Lacey's beautiful eyes peered at me for a minute, her eyes glazed over with sleep. She yawned and pressed her face into Seth's neck. Even in sleep, Seth smiled and shifted a little. His lips brushed the little monster's skin, sending warmth through my heart. He truly did want to be around me and my kids. "Tucker." The muted whisper sounded like a shout in the silence of our bedroom. _Seth's_ - - Seth's bedroom; not mine.

I turned to find Jay standing in the doorway, looking at me and the man who was holding the little ones in his arms. My little brother motioned for me to get out of the bed and come and talk to him. I slid myself from Seth's grasp, despite the fact that he curled it tighter and muttered my name on a sigh. Once I was finally free, Seth wrapped his arm around Westyn, caging him like he had Wesley. I turned back to see then all, feeling an instant sense of rightness. I could trust Seth to take care of my kids, to keep them safe while I went and dealt with everything else.

Fighting the urge to press a kiss onto the man's forehead, I left the side of the bed and padded across the room. Slipping out and silently shutting the door, I turned to my brother. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm just starving and wanted to go get breakfast. But I didn't want to take your debit card and have you not -"

"Where have you been sleeping? How long have you been here?" I cut in. It was still a weekday; my brother should have been in school. "Why aren't you in school?" I demanded.

"I came over last night with Sue. You and Seth were so tired, we just let you sleep. And then Seth made some dinner, grabbed the babies, and said that I could take the day off of school and just bum out," he rattled off, clearly trying to keep himself from getting into trouble. "I can go to school after -"

"No, no, it's fine. You probably need a day off just as much as I did," I replied, thinking myself a fool for not realizing that Jay must be tired too. While he slept more than I did, he was still struggling to adjust to his new situation. Life wasn't easy for any of us. "I should have thought about letting you have a day off. I'm sorry that I didn't. We've all been a little on edge."

"At least I sleep at night," he retorted. "Seth only said that you were really tired, Tuck, but I know that it's more than that, isn't it?" I nodded. "You're pushing yourself to hard, Sissy." He hadn't called me the name since before the triplets had been born. No matter what I wanted to think, it was becoming clear that having Seth around was good for everyone. I didn't want to risk my relationship with him by trying something... But damn if I didn't want to try.

"Don't worry, Jay. Seth's watching out for all of us," I admitted.

To my shock, Jay nodded in agreement. "He's a good guy, Tucker. I like him." I pretended not to hear that silent _for you_ that seemed to echo in the silence around us. "Not that this conversation isn't great or anything, but I'm kind of starving." I laughed at him, promised to make breakfast, and sent him into the living room to play a video game.

By the time that Seth and the babies woke up, I was shocked to see him carrying all three down the stairs like they were nothing. His large arms were able to trap the boys to his chest while his hands were able to support little Lacey. "Morning," he greeted. He stooped and surprised me by pressing a kiss to my cheek. "You want to take this little girl here and get her set up for breakfast? She's getting cranky." As if in response, Lacey threw both her hands in the air. The metallic slap of Lacey hitting Seth's face resonated in the air. I set down the mushy cereal I had been making for the babies and turned to grab Seth's food when his warm arm wrapped around my waist and jerked me around to face him.

His thumb and forefinger gently pinched my chin and forced me to look at him. For a brief moment, he was content to stare at me, looking for something although I didn't know what. "If you feel like taking a nap at any point, just let me know. Head upstairs and lay down for a little. Jay and I can take care of the minions for a little while." I nodded, thinking that it was safest to just agree with him and be done with it. "Promise?"

"Yes Seth," I said before Wesley grabbed my attention by splattering the two of us with rice cereal in his impatience. "I suppose I should know better than to give them their food when I'm not right there to feed them."

Seth just shrugged. "You live and learn."

Thanks to my weekend spent at Seth's, my world was set to rights again. In the days that came, Seth was home more than ever. If he went out to work in his shed and build things, he took one of the kids in their bouncy seat and left them on the grass within eyesight. Leaving for home every night became something to dread. I didn't like it. I found myself finding little reasons to stay and, to my shock, Seth found reasons to keep us around.

"I'm heading out back," he said almost two weeks later. Jay was sitting at the dining room table, his homework sprawled out around him so that Leah could help him with it while I worked. Seth had Lacey resting in his arms. There was no denying that the girl had him wrapped around her finger. It wasn't just her, either. All three infants had control of the gentle giant and I think that they all knew it. "Lacey-baby is coming with me." As had become a new habit, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"You're going to be a good daddy one day," I announced when he started playing with Lacey while standing there.

"I am," he said in response, his gaze fixed on the boys in their high chairs. My heart stuttered.

"But you keep this up, and you're babies are going to be spoiled," I teased.

All teasing left his eyes, the brown depths burning with some emotion that I couldn't place. "If they aren't already, I'm not doing my job right," he murmured. He pulled Lacey up closer to his face and kissed her cheek, nuzzling her nose with his. She giggled and turned her head towards him. "Ain't that right, little one?" he asked her.

There was nothing else said about the conversation. He kissed my cheek again and marched out the backdoor, my cheeks burning like fire at the words. He didn't really mean it; he couldn't. The kids weren't _his_. What kind of man steps in and decides to raise children that weren't his? No; he just thought that it was the answer I wanted. But then there was no reason for him to be as great with my kids as he was. I peeked out to the backyard to see him lying on his back in the grass, Lacey lying on his chest. Some wooden carving rested in his hand. From the way he had it galloping around his breastplate, I assumed that it was a horse. Lacey was lying on her belly, her little body looking even tinier against the breadth of Seth.

There was no reason for him to act like this if he didn't mean it. And the way that he had the little girl laughing said that he most definitely meant it. "Tucker, someone's at the door," Jay called, though he sounded distracted. I wiped my hands off on my apron and marched towards the door, shoving thoughts of Seth and his kindness out of my brain. I jerked the door open with a ready smile.

One that fell the instant the door was open.


	18. Chapter XVII

**Author's Note: I am moved in and have finally figured out the internet in my apartment. I'm a little computer retarded, so it took me a while to figure out how to set it up. Anyways, we should have more regular updates now that I'm settled and have a week off. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter LVII**

I felt my stomach wretch and slammed the door shut. Pressing my fingers against my shirt to smooth the wrinkles, I took a deep breath and calmed myself. "Jay, go into the backyard with the boys," I hissed. "Go in the shed with the kids and don't come out until I come and get you." He looked at me quizzically, but I must have sounded calm enough because he listened to me. My hands trembled as I turned around and reached for the door. Another deep breath and I twisted the knob and pulled it open. "What are you doing here?" I begged, swallowing deeply. "How did you find us?"

"He told you, Tucker, you're never going to escape him. You didn't even try to change your last name," he laughed in my face. "It made it all to easy for him to track you down." I bristled as David's cousin took another step closer to me. I stumbled back, afraid of what he would do if he found my babies. Jim had never been known to have a kind hand. "He sent me out here to make sure you weren't going to hide from him none. But you've built you a pretty good life here; it'd be hard to hide."

"He gave up his rights to the kids when he told Sam that he didn't want them. There's nothing he can do, Jim. They're mine, free and clear." Even as the words left my throat, I new it wasn't true. David had enough contacts that he could take the kids and hide away with them. No one would ever know where he'd gone. I would never see my babies again.

Jim laughed at me and took another step forward, coming at me so quickly that I didn't have time to get away. "He won't come for you if you just give me the kids, Tucker. You're not the one that he wants. He wanted your sister," he sneered. "And let's face it, we both know he had her good. He managed to get three babies out of her." I felt sick to my stomach as he mentioned my sister. "If David wanted you, he would've had you too."

"You sound like a damn redneck," I fired at him. It was the only defense that I had against him. "I'm not giving you my children. They're not his and they never will be." he snorted a laugh at me and gripped my upper arms. It was almost bruising, the force that he used.

"Now, what if I took you?" he demanded. "You'd have to do something 'cause you want those babes and your brother." I knew instant fear. He wouldn't hurt me; he couldn't. The court had already determined that David's drinking and record made him a danger. Without me the kids would be placed in foster care until Jay was old enough to start fighting for them. "Seeing as you and your sister were twins and she had triplets, you think you're gonna have a set of 'em too?" he asked me.

"Tucker?" I had never been so grateful to hear Seth's voice. I whimpered, in pain and relief that Seth was coming. "Tuck, what's - - Who the fuck are you?" I had never heard such steely anger in Seth's voice before. Jim tightened his hold on my arms and I flinched, feeling the bruises that would form. "Let her go," he snarled. His large, tan hand wrapped around Jim's wrist. There was an audible crunching of bones.

"Fuck!" Jim exclaimed. He released my arms immediately and cradled the hand to his chest. "What the hell was that?" he demanded.

Seth gently pulled me into his arms, wrapping one thick limb around my shoulders and upper back. I could feel the hot tears stinging my face as I fisted my hands in his shirt and clung to him. "Don't you worry," he breathed into my ear. "The kids are all locked up in the shed with the fan on." I felt selfishness tear through me. The children hadn't been in my head at the moment. Wrapped in Seth's arms, I had forgotten for a brief moment, what I was supposed to be focusing on. Instead, I found myself thankful that he was there, that his arms were wrapped around me, that he was protecting me. "What the fuck were you doing touching her?" he demanded. "Did he hurt you, Tucker?" He didn't wait for an answer to his first question. He brought his eyes to meet mine, the dark coals there softening to embers. I tucked my head against his shoulder, unwilling to answer the question. "Who the hell are you?"

"Jim DeWitt," he answered immediately, probably afraid Seth would break something else if he didn't answer.

Seth recognized the last name from our conversations about David. His eyes got even darker if that was possible. "You tell David that if he gets within a hundred miles of her, he's got me to answer to," Seth snarled so menacingly, I felt like I might crawl into a hole right then and there. "Now you get out of my house and off of the reservation. Outsiders aren't welcome." With one hand, he grasped Jim's color and heaved him out the porch, dragging me along at his side as if he was afraid that I would disappear without him holding me. The truth was, I just might. "You come near my - - you come near Tucker or our... or the kids again, I'll do more than break a few fingers. Are we clear?" Jim's head bobbed as he stumbled down the porch steps and into the car he'd parked.

Only once there was nothing but a trail of dust did Seth's warrior look drop. He turned me in his arms and held me away from him. I felt the heat of his gaze as he inventoried my body, made sure that there were no marks. The red welts on my arms were going to turn to bruises, but that couldn't be avoided. Seth's tan fingers smoothed over my white skin, erasing the trails of pain left by Jim. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath. "Did he hurt you, Tucker? Besides your arms, I mean. Did he do anything?" I shook my head, but I could feel the shock setting in. David had found us. We weren't going to be safe at our home anymore. He would stop at nothing to get those kids, the torture them the way he had my sister. They were the only pieces left of Sammy. "Tucker?"

One by one, the tears that I had fought for so long came flowing out. I had unconsciously cried more times than I would like to admit, but I was adamant that I didn't have time for pain. "Oh, Tuck," he breathed before he crushed me to his chest. I clenched my hands around his shirt and let him hold me, let him rock me back and forth for my comfort. "It's going to be okay, baby," he promised. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the babies or Jay, okay?" I knew that it was a vow he could never keep, but at the moment, I just wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that there was someone that could care for me, someone that could make this easier. "Talk to me, baby. Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded.

"He found us," I sobbed. "He'll take them, Seth. I can't - - he'll ruin them. He'll torture them and that will be the end." His hands were inexplicably gentle against my hair as he smoothed the curls and soothed my soul. "We're not safe. Everywhere we go, he'll get to us."

"You listen to me, Tucker Mills." His tone arrested my attention. Not as harsh or as dark as it had been when Jim was in the room, it was still serious. "You are strong, stronger than any woman that I have ever met. You are brave. You traveled across the country with four children so that you could protect them. Now let me do my job and help you." When did it become his job to help me? And how could he not see all the things that he had already done? He was the reason that I was able to survive. His emotional comfort, his physical support, the job that he gave me. He did more than I would ever be able to explain. "You and the kids will move in here," he proclaimed.

"Seth, we couldn't," I returned immediately.

"There are two bedrooms upstairs. We'll set up one for a nursery and one for a play room." I noticed that I was not getting a bedroom in his little equation. "My room adjoins to the nursery room; it's where my mom used to put us when we babies. Jay can have the downstairs bedroom, be a kid, be away from the babies."

"And me?"

He groaned like I had said something that upset him. "I work nights with my second job, Tucker. You can share my room with me. And on the nights that I'm home, I'll take the couch or something. We'll figure it out." His fingertip drew a line around the edge of my face. "You said that you're not safe at home, but you would be here. I have friends who could check on you at night, make sure no one is here while I'm working. Living here, you'd be closer to people if anything happened." His words all made sense. So why was I yearning for something more? For some declaration of love or want for us to be there for more than just protection? "Tucker, please, let me do this. Let me take care of you."

With trembling lips, I nodded and managed to get the words out of my mouth. "Okay, Seth. We'll come and live with you."


	19. Chapter XVIII

**Author's Note: Okay, y'all; here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XVIII**

The morning after Jim's appearance in La Push, I woke up far later than I normally would. I hadn't been able to sleep for the majority of the night. It was only after I had tossed and turned for a few hours that my worries finally claimed me. I was only awoken by the sounds of shouting and laughter downstairs. Grabbing a sweatshirt from the foot of the bed, I dashed down the stairs, fear coursing through my veins. Who was here? Where was Seth? "Sh, guys; you're going to wake the kids," Seth's voice chastised. I sighed. He was here. And he clearly knew who these people were. Good signs.

"Didn't you say that they're normally up by now?" a voice I didn't recognize asked.

"Yeah, but Tucker was a little more intense last night after everything that happened," Seth replied. These must be the friends that he was always talking about; the ones that would be there to help me if I needed it. "That would be the reason that you guys are here." I took another step down the stairs, the board creaking underneath my foot. "Hold up, guys. I smell Tucker." He _smelled _me? Maybe I needed to take a shower. "No more shouting." I heard his pounding footfalls come towards me. "Morning," he said. I tugged the fleece lined sweater a little closer, feeling embarrassed for yesterday. I had shamelessly clung to the man and was intruding on his home. All to take care of children that weren't his. "I've got to say, that looks way better on you than it did on me." I looked down to the La Push High sweater, realizing that I hadn't grabbed my own clothes. And what was more, I was walking around the house in my short sleeping shorts and his sweater, nothing more. I was practically naked. "Breakfast is ready."

"Shouldn't I have -"

"No," he interrupted. "You have enough on your plate. I've decided to give you a paid vacation day." I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to protest, but Seth hurried forward. "So the guys are all in the kitchen waiting to meet you. There are some things that we all need to talk about."

I frowned. "Like what?"

"Come on downstairs and see," he insisted. He held out his hand to me which I took. I wasn't afraid of his friends, per say. I wasn't even worried about them and the kids. I was, however, terrified of what they would say when they realized that Seth was letting a single mother of four move into his house. What would they assume? What would they think of Seth? "Guys," he called out as we rounded the corner into the kitchen.

Men that were taller than any that I had ever seen, some even taller than Seth, gazed down at me with ready smiles. "Tucker, these are the guys. They don't bite and they're not nearly as scary as they look."

"Speak for yourself," one of them muttered. The others smiled and smacked the one's back. "I'm Paul," he said with a grin, reaching out a hand to me. I looked up at Seth. He nodded, squeezing my hand for support. I slipped my hands into Paul's, noticing that he was just as warm as Seth always was. "So you're the girl that he won't shut up about." He shoved a thumb towards Seth, who growled like a dog. Quite convincingly, I might add.

"Tucker, this is Jake, Nathan, Sam, Jared, Paul, Quil, Collin, and Brady," Seth introduced, pointing out each man. Each guy waved and said hello or some greeting to me. "These guys are basically my brothers. We handle any problem that may come up together."

I turned to look straight at Seth, leaning my head back so that I could see him fully. "This isn't your problem, Seth," I reminded him. I said it because I knew that it was the right thing to say, but I was loathe to do so. I wanted his help. I wanted him to be there for me. I wanted someone to take care of me for once. Wrong as it was.

"Guys," he said. The room was emptied in a rush, the large men rushing towards the game console in the living room. When it all fell quiet again, the man in front of me turned me towards him. He backed me against the counter, his eyes steadily holding mine. Large, hot hands gripped my waist and hauled me up to sit on the counter. "I want you to listen to me, Tucker, because you clearly aren't hearing me." His hands slid down my waist, along my hips. Shivers coursed through me when he trailed fingertips down my thighs and to my knees. He moved to place himself between my legs, his hands on my knees, the pressure forcing my heart to hammer. "I want to help you, Tucker."

"Because you're a nice guy," I said. "I get that, Seth. Your mom raised a good guy. But just because you're a good guy doesn't mean that you have to do this."

"Not because I'm a good guy, Tuck, but because I want to help you." He bent his head down to me, his breath warming over my face. "I care about you. I care about the triplets. I care about Jay. I want to help you because I want to do something for you." I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to temper the hope that was swelling inside me. "I really, really like you Tucker. I just want a chance to make a difference in your life." Didn't he understand that he had made a difference already? He gave Jay someone to look up to. He gave me a job. He was... perfect.

I had to find a way to thank him, to show how important he was to me. I moved my hands from my lap to his shoulders. I traced along the breadth of his chest, wanting nothing more than to draw lines down his chest, to feel the beating of his heart against the palm of my hand. I felt his muscles ripple underneath my fingertips as I moved from his shoulders towards his neck, feeling the bulging deltoid muscles by his neck. I braced my hands on his neck, allowing my thumbs to reach his strong, straight jaw. There was a twitch in his cheek that came along with a nearly inaudible groan. "You made a difference a long time ago," I promised him.

Unable to stand the tension that was floating in between us any longer, I pulled on his head just a little. I pressed my lips to his, just a feathery caress to try to show him how much he meant. When I pulled back, though, Seth's eyes were still closed like he was trying to savor the feeling of the brief kiss. His hands jumped from my knees to my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh. I felt heat sear my stomach, bubble in my gut and pool in my core. I thought I might black out in the brief seconds before his lips touched mine again.

He slanted his lips over mine, claiming my mouth with a position that I had never felt before. I had been kissed before, or at least, I thought I had. But no one's touch had ever left me so lightheaded. His mouth moved against mine, insistent and persuasive. His teeth nipped at my lip, sending a shock of desire thundering through me. I gasped against his mine. Softly, gently, Seth drew his tongue along the seam of my lips. I opened my mouth and gave him the entry. The last time someone had kissed me like this, I had been disgusted. I thought that it was ugly and disgusting, having someone's _saliva _in my mouth. But with Seth, it wasn't like that. I didn't feel like someone was trying to invade my personal space. Rather, I felt like I was being given a gift of sharing part of him. He wasn't trying to push where he wasn't welcome, but become a part of me and show me just how much he truly cared. Just like I was trying to show him how much I appreciated all he did for me.

I copied every move that he made, the swirling of my tongue, the sucking on my lip, the biting, the pulling. Every motion seemed set off a new nerve ending, hit a button somewhere deep inside me that I didn't know I had. I was trembling in his arms, a pile of mud slipping away, turning into the emotions that were roiling through me. His hands came up to my waist again, tugging me to his chest and forcing my legs to splay a little wider to accommodate his size. When he finally pulled away, I couldn't breathe. His hands were trembling against my skin, sending vibrations up through my spine.

"Gross, dude." I jumped a little at hearing Jay's voice in the kitchen. "That's my sister."

In the other room, someone gave a bark of a laugh. A voice that I was pretty sure was Nathan's shouted from the living room, "Not so funny when the little brother's interrupting you, now is it?" he asked. All the guys just laughed in response. I buried my face in Seth's shoulder and tried to hide my blush.

And probably failed miserably.


	20. Chapter XIX

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. I suppose that I haven't put this warning up here before, so I will now. WARNING! I am a slow writer. I like stories to take the time to develop, to be able to appreciate the many faucets of a character. For that reason, I am letting everyone know to buckle up for a long ride. Anyone who has read my other stories knows that I take my sweet time. I hope that they're good enough to keep you interested in the meantime. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XIX**

Seth's friends were a lot like the man himself. They were funny, large, and good-hearted. When the boys woke, leaving Lacey asleep for _once_, I brought them downstairs and lost hold of them immediately. Wesley pumped his chubby, little legs as soon as he saw Seth, who promptly took the little mite from me. When I had placed Westyn on his mat for some playtime, he made quick friends with Collin... I think. In truth, the guys looked very similar. They had the same dark hair, dark eyes, full lips. They even had matching tattoos. I could easily tell that there was a brotherhood between then, something that ran deeper than blood.

Each man had a distinct personality, though. Seth was by far the happiest. He laughed and joked, a smile on his face that could rival the light of the sun. Paul was a bit moody, but from the way the others told it, he had mellowed out since his marriage. It seemed to me like he was constantly struggling to keep his temper in check; except when he was holding onto a baby. Once he had hold of Wesley, it was like all the tension drained out of him. I suppose kids have a way of making everything a little better, even when they seem to be the reason that your life is falling apart.

Nate, Leah's husband, was by far the most adept with the babies. Wesley and Westyn both seemed to recognize him, which meant that they clung to him whenever they found themselves uncomfortable. Only, of course, if Seth wasn't around. From my spot in the kitchen, looking out of the living, I watched both boys begin to cry. Like a seasoned parent, Seth scooped them both into his arms, using his feet to pull their sitting pillows to the center of the carpet. Quil blew raspberries on their bellies, sending both into fits of giggles. Each man seemed enthralled, though the ones that had kids were far less timid.

There was one who stood out from the others though. Aside from Seth, of course. Since our kiss in the kitchen, I found myself drawn to him. Even while I was just sitting back to watch the interactions, I couldn't bring my gaze to stray from him. _Other_ than Seth, however, Jake stood out to me. While every was climbing over themselves to play with the boys, and Lacey when Seth brought her down, Jake was lying back on the couch, watching Seth with an observant eye. I wondered, then, if he was thinking of me. Regardless of what my intention was, I was taking advantage of Seth. He could say whatever he wanted to about wanting to help me, wanting to make a difference. I was knowingly taking advantage of the man. And these boys being as close as they were, it wouldn't surprise me if Jake was trying to figure out how to tell his friend that he was being played.

I turned to get breakfast for the kids, looking at the disaster that was the kitchen. It may just be the _last_ time I let Seth Clearwater make a meal in our kitchen. _His_ kitchen; although I was going to be living there... No; it was still _his_ kitchen. Allowing myself to think of things in terms of "ours" would only end up in heartache for... Apparently, for the both of us. Seth liked to be around me; he'd said so himself. While I would never understand it, I wasn't going to question him. I liked being around him, too. "Hey there." I jumped, almost banging my head on the cabinet when I was reaching underneath it to grab formula.

Jake was standing in the doorway, much like I had been. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorjamb and stared at me. "Hi, um, Jake, right?" He nodded, a silent sentinel, ever watchful. "It was nice of you guys to come over here," I said stupidly, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I'm making you uncomfortable." Immediately, the dark glare in his eyes fell away and he straightened and dropped his arms. "I'm sorry; my wife says I do that when I get too serious. I was just thinking about some stuff. I didn't mean to frighten you or anything."

I took a deep breath and looked down at the mash cereals I was working on. "Did you care to share your thoughts? I know talking things through can often make people feel better." Before my life had fallen apart, I had wanted to be a psychologist or a marriage councilor. I was always a good listener. I knew that if I could get people to talk about their problems, I could make a difference. Sometimes a different set of ears is all it takes.

"Seth has said very little about your predicament," he admitted. "But I wanted to make somethings clear to you, Tucker." I nodded and turned to face him, sensing the tension in the air. "Seth is a great guy, better than most that I've ever met. He _really_ cares about you. He will do anything for you."

"He's only known me for a few months," I dismissed. "He just feels sorry for me."

"Maybe, but I doubt it. Seth's life wasn't always easy. And while he's always been a sympathetic kid, he's never been known to pity people. Nor does he make decisions out of sympathy, empathy, or pity. All I was trying was that we want to help you. All of us do; consider yourself a part of our little family. We want to help you, so I'm just asking for a little bit of trust. I know you don't know us -"

"Seth trusts you guys. He knows about my, uh, my situation. He wouldn't have asked for your help if he didn't trust you guys." I just hadn't had people to rely on in what felt like ages. It had only been a few months, but it seemed so much longer to me. "I'll just have to trus - - to believe in his judgement." I couldn't allow myself to trust again; not after what happened to all the other people I had put my faith in.

"I just wanted to make sure that you knew that we were here for you, too." I nodded and smiled, trying to keep myself from saying anything that would be polite, but that I wouldn't mean. Jake's head jerked in a nod and he turned to leave. I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to focus on the kids' breakfasts. "Hey Tucker?" I spun around to see the tall man still standing there. "Seth's been waiting a long time for a - - for someone like you. Give him a chance."

I said nothing else and watched him walk away from me. Give him a chance. That seemed to be what everything in my life was trying to tell me. I dreamed about my sister and mother, hearing both of them telling me to trust him. Jay liked Seth, proclaimed that he was a great man. The babies were attached to him, their trust blind and innocent. Yet, Seth had given me no reason to think that I _couldn't_ trust him. In fact, he'd done everything to the contrary. "You just can't make this shit easy on me, can you?" I asked the ceiling. I suppose that I was actually asking my sister or my mother. Anyone, really. Anyone who had an answer for me.

I stirred the mush cereals with gusto, trying not think about Seth in the other room. I would be to easily distracted if I did. "Hey Tuck?" Seth called. I shook my head and blinked hard, trying to make sure I didn't have any unguarded emotion sitting in my eyes. "Do you everybody's breakfast ready? We're getting a little cranky." I nodded and stepped forward to take Wesley from his arms, bouncing the boy on my hip as I marched to the highchair. Seth was making noises and blowing at the other two, their giggles filling the air in the kitchen.

He buckled his own two monsters and followed me to the counter where their breakfast waited. I could hear Lacey yelling at one of her brothers in the background, but I suddenly found myself chest to chest with Seth. He held the two bowls of cereal in his hands, high above my head. "Why don't you grab some coffee and go sit down for a little?" he suggested, noticing that I hadn't taken a sip from the coffee he had poured me. "I have plenty of people here that could help me with the kids."

The woodsy musk was intoxicating. Since I had kissed him, which had only been an hour ago, I found myself wanting so much more. So I readily agreed, thinking that it would be best to put as much distance between us as possible. Lest I try to jump him ever moment of the day. He reached around me for the third bowl of breakfast and I steeled myself for the touch. It was his habit to kiss my cheek, to press his lips against my skin. I knew that I would melt the moment he did.

Instead, his lips grazed my own in a brief peck that whispered of such passion, I could hardly breathe. "Off with you," he said, starting to walk away like nothing had happened. "I've got this." But I had nothing; not even a grip on reality anymore.


	21. Chapter XX

**Author's Note: Okay, I know it's been a while. I'm sure you guys don't want to hear about the insanity that rules my life right now. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XX**

"So you want to leave all of our things in the house?" I asked incredulously.

"Tuck, just give him a chance to explain," he implored. I nodded and looked back at Embry.

"If he's after you, having some of your stuff there and making it look like you still _live_ there will make it more difficult for him to find you," he explained.

"But he already knows where I work. How is he not going to figure it out?" Jay nodded from his spot beside me. He had woken up to a house full of men and had a minor freak out, but once he'd had the entire situation explained to him, he was a little calmer. Now, he just wanted to get everything dealt with, to protect our family. Seth gave me a look that said that he wanted to talk to me, and only me. My heart thumped in my chest, thinking back to our kiss the last time he'd tried to talk to me alone. "Jay, why don't you take the boys outside. There's some of the guys out there with Lacey." He rolled his eyes and informed me that the girl was a spoiled little princess. He'd said it with a grin, though, so I didn't see much malice. "You have something to say," I stated when we were alone in the living room again.

"I just have to figure out how to phrase it so that you won't get mad," he explained. I looked down at the couch and waited. No sense in telling him that I wouldn't get upset by something that he said; I would. His fingers tipped my chin up and practically burned into my soul. "I don't like that you actually have to worry about this," he began slowly, chewing the words in his mouth before he let them out. "I wish that I could - - I wish that you would have told me about this soon. I could have helped you; I could have protected you."

My indigence flared at his words. He wasn't a part of my life. He might _want_ to be, but until recently, he wasn't someone that I knew I could trust. "Everything that I do is for my kids," I whispered just as cautiously as he had. "I didn't know what to do about everything, Seth. Most of all, I didn't know _you_. I told you as soon as I could, as soon as I knew that I could tell you." He nodded slowly, like he was processing. "We have to accept the fact that you haven't been a part of my life forever."

"I know that," he breathed in a rush. "I just... If something happened to you, Tucker, I don't know what I'd do."

"Stop it," I managed to get out. My blood was roaring through my ears. I was nineteen. I didn't get to fall in love and find the perfect guy. Girls my age didn't do that; they dated and had fun. _And got pregnant with triplets,_ a voice in my head reminded me. "This isn't a sappy romance, Seth. We've only known each other for a few months. Trust me when I say that I want to believe you, that I want to just - - " I wouldn't finish that sentence; it was far too dangerous. "But I can't Seth. I have four kids who depend on me."

"Who do you depend on, Tucker?" I narrowed my eyes in question. "Everybody needs someone that they can go to when the world is falling apart. That person doesn't even have to pick up all the pieces, they just have to let you sit there and scream about them. Everyone needs that person. So who do you depend on?"

_You,_ my heart cried. I just shook my head so that I wouldn't have to answer him. Seth, being Seth, took the answer to mean that I had no one there for me. He scooted himself closer so that our thighs were mashed together. "Everybody needs somebody, Tucker. All I want is to be that person for you. You spend so much time taking care of everyone else and making sure that everyone else has what they need. I want to be the person to take care of things for you. I don't think you're understand just how important you've become for me, Tucker." I couldn't help the smile that bloomed across my face. I hadn't been important to anyone in a really long time. "If we leave things at your house, eat dinner there a few nights a week, make it look like you still live there, it might throw him off his game enough to keep you guys safe."

"It does make sense, Seth, but I - - I don't know if I can pay my house payment on that place _and_ give you rent. That's my biggest concern." I dropped my head, refusing to let him see my embarrassment.

"When did I ask you to pay rent?" he practically laughed. "Tucker, I'm not asking you to live with me so that you'll pay rent and bills and keep house. I'm asking you to live with me because the thought of something happening to you or Jay or Lacey or the boys makes me sick to my stomach. The idea that I could lose any of you - - I could never forgive myself if something happened to you guys."

"You're not responsible for us," I reminded him. The infamous smile returned in that moment, covering a snorted chuckle. It hit me like a load of bricks then. Seth's smile wasn't carefree. It wasn't him not having a care in the world. It was a mask; a way to make sure that no one knew just how upset he was. Something that I had misjudged him on. He muttered something to himself, but didn't seem to want me to hear. "You're not, Seth."

"I don't think that you understand that I _want_ to be," he murmured loud enough that I could hear him. My heart stuttered. "I know about all of the things that you're worried about, Tucker, but I also know that if you'll just give me a chance, I can make all of those things go away." He sighed heavily and pasted a smile back on his face. "That's not what we're talking about though. We're talking about you moving here. If you were to be living here, with me, you wouldn't be out in the middle of no where. There's neighbors, my friends, my family. We can make sure that David can't get to you."

"My place -"

"Is out in the middle of no where. If he comes after you, you're not anywhere that can be gotten to. Here, I'm living with you. I'm never really gone and when I am, I know that someone can be here to watch after you guys," he explained.

"I don't need to be babysat," I whispered.

"But I need to know that you're okay. For my own sanity, Tucker, I need to know that you're safe." I sighed now and felt his cheek press against my hair. When had I rested my head on his shoulder?

"Sorry to interrupt," Quil's voice called out. "But how do you make it stop?" He held Wesley out in front of him like the monster was going to attack him. Wesley was wailing with an abandon, screaming at the top of his lungs. Of course, the second the traitor saw Seth, he giggled happily and pumped his chubby legs. Seth rose from his spot beside me and took Wes in his arms. Instantly, the boy began telling Seth an animated story in his baby language.

"Is that right?" Seth asked him, looking down in his eyes. "Did big bad Quil scare you?" he asked. Wes continued.

"I was just playing with him," Quil argued. "And then he started crying."

"He does that," I rolled my eyes. "He only likes a few people and trust me, when he finds one he does, he clings."

Later that night, my statement rang true. The other guys had left to be with their wives, children, and significant others. I made a simple dinner for us, sent Jay off to bed so that he could go to school the next day. I had the babies in bed early, since they'd had far too many late nights as of late. Then I simply stood in the hallway, unsure where to go next. I couldn't just take Seth's bed from him. The man in question, however, had a different idea. He popped out of his room a little while later with his hands full of clothes, sheets, and pillows. "I'll be on the couch if you need anything," he said simply. I nodded and moved to go into the bedroom. Seth's arm snaked around my waist. He slanted his lips over mine sweetly. "Goodnight, Tucker."

I woke up a little while later to hear a baby crying. It had been a while since the kids had woken up in the middle of the night, but their lives had been uprooted frequently. I rubbed my eyes as I walked into the bedroom they occupied and was surprised to find another voice in there. Seth's deep voice was singing some nonsense in a language that I didn't understand. Wesley was sitting in his arms, his eyelids drifting closed under Seth's quiet voice. I watched for a while, thinking to thank Seth for being up there. But Seth took himself off to the rocking chair and settled himself there.

Within minutes, he was asleep with Wes' little hand wrapped around one of his fingers. "Shit," I breathed almost inaudibly. "I'm falling for him."


	22. Chapter XXI

**Author's Note: I beg and plead with you not to hate me. Readers from my other stories know that I worry about people becoming too upset with what I do. All I can promise you is that I have a purpose for almost everything I write, so have a little faith in me. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXI:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

I liked having my imprint live with me. Two weeks after her official move-in, I marched into the house to the delicious smell of beef stew. "Jay I'm not having this argument with you," I heard Tucker screech. "Don't you get it? I want better than this for you!" Her heart was pounding in her chest. Faintly, I could make out the sound of a baby crying. "Why didn't you just tell me that you wanted to get a job?"

"Because you would have said no," Jay argued back. "Besides what better job is there than working for Seth? He gives me whatever hours that I need to have. It makes it so that I can help you when you need it, Tuck. I'm just trying to help." I heard a growl build in Tucker's throat, something similar to what I would sounds like.

"It's not about the fact that you want a job. I can't believe that you lied to me, Jay. I had hoped that we were beyond all of this! Don't you think that in our world we should at least be able to _trust_ each other? How could you lie to me?" I stepped closer, thinking to go and get whichever child was crying when Tucker saw me. "How could _you_?" she screamed at me. "Jay, go and do your homework." Jay seemed to understand that his sister was more than a little angry and scurried away, leaving me to deal with a woman that was beyond furious. "Why wouldn't you tell me that he wasn't playing a sport?"

"Tucker, you're overreacting," I tried to say.

"I'm _overreacting? _Really? Because my brother lied to me. He's trying to end his childhood too early. Okay, so much stuff about his life has been messed up. I refuse for it to happen anymore. Don't you get it!" I took a deep breath to keep from laughing or smiling at her. It was clearly not what she wanted to hear. "Seth, how could you do that to me? How could you let him go behind my back?"  
"I thought you knew," I admitted. "Jay told me that he'd asked you. It was one of the first things that I asked before I hired him, Tuck. I wasn't trying to go behind your back." The fight didn't go out of her though. "What are you really mad at?"

"You!" she shouted. "God, are all men this stupid or is it just the ones that I know?" I couldn't help but smile at that. "Seth, you come in here without a fucking care in the world and decide that you're going to take over my family. You give us a home and work and support when it wasn't your responsibility."

"That makes you _mad_ at me?" I knew that I was a little dense, but last that I had checked, when someone was kind to you, you thanked them. "Why does that piss you off?"

"Because I can't thank you." The tension drained out of her then and she looked up at the ceiling and swallowed hard. "It makes me mad, Seth, because I like you. Just like you were saying, I like you and I care about you. But you deserve so much better than someone like me. That's my problem, Seth. I will never in my life be able to thank you enough." I heard what she wasn't saying, too. She honestly thought that she would never be good enough to be with me.

"I have to go and talk to someone really quick, okay?" She nodded, but I could see that she thought that I believed her. "I'll be back in like twenty minutes or so. Will I be late for dinner?" She coughed out a strangled sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob before she shook her head. "Okay; I'll be back real quick." I dashed a peck on her lips like I would. When I did though, she made it difficult to pull away. Her mouth opened in a startled gasp that forced me to claim her mouth a little stronger. God, the things that this girl could do to me. She honestly thought that I wasn't head over heels in love with her.

I was in love with her. It'd been only a few months since I'd met her, but I couldn't imagine loving anyone else. Her heart, her spirit, her kindness, her ability to sacrifice everything for for everybody else. I needed to tell her the truth about me, first. Before I could tell her that I loved her, I would have to tell her that I was a wolf, a protector. "But how do you tell someone who has never heard our legends that these things are real?" I asked myself as I came upon Leah and Nate's backyard. Little Luke was playing on the ground with Ryanne and Jake's daughter while the girls themselves talked. "I need help," I called out.

"We know, but we figure it will be really hard to get you into a psychiatrist with all the wolf issues tumbling around in your head," Ryanne called back. Leah laughed with her, causing me to roll my eyes. "What can we do for you?" she asked when I made my way up the porch steps.

"I need help with Tucker," I explained.

"I thought she was _perfect_," Ryanne said dreamily, going off of the conversations that Jake had undoubtedly told her about. "What could you possibly need help from us for?"

"I don't know how to tell her." Understanding dawned on both girls' faces. Leah would know how it felt to tell someone who had never heard the legends and Ryanne knew how it felt to be something other than Quileute and find out about the truth. Although it _was_ different for Ryanne; she was practically a part of the tribe before she became the Alpha's mate. "She's never heard our legends. What am I supposed to do? Should I explain the truth and then show her? Should I not show her? I don't want her to become terrified. I mean, what if she takes the kids away? I can't live without seeing her or the babies and Jay. I just couldn't do it."

"You've got it bad," Ryanne laughed. "Here," she said, leaning over to reach into her diaper bag and pull out a book. "I was planning on stopping by to give it to her anyways." The book was old and tattered, but the gilded title stood out from the rest of the dark leather. _The Quileute Peoples: History and Legends_. "I stole from Bella way back when and then gave it to Leah to give to Nate. Now it's time for your imprint to get it and understand exactly what she's getting herself into."

"But then how do I tell her? I _need_ to do it. I love her, Leah." I looked desperately at my sister. She would understand what it felt like to love your imprint and be harboring the secrets that I was. "I love her and those kids and her brother and I can't _not_ have her."

"No one can tell you what to do here, Seth. Each of us has had to figure out how to tell our imprints," Leah said. Besides, if you're wanting to tell her without having her find out on accident, you should talk to Jared. Sam almost killed Emily. Rye figured it out on her own. I guess Charlie kind of found out in a normal way." Leah looked to Ryanne who shrugged but nodded. "Claire only found out because we all kept talking about the boys turning into wolves. It seemed normal to her when she saw it for the first time. So I guess, the people you should be talking to are Jared and Paul. They're the only two who have managed to do it properly."

"What about Embry?" I asked. I seemed to remember Penn taking it relatively well.

"Em made the mistake of letting her befriend his wolf first. Penn actually stopped talking to him when she found out that her best friend was actually the wolf that she'd been talking to, remember?" That _was_ how it happened. "And I guess you shouldn't talk to Jared because Kim had always dreamed of the Warriors being real so it was just amazing to her when she found out that they were. I suppose Paul is the only one to ask about this. Of course, back then we were so much more stressed out with the newborns and Victoria and the Volturi."

"What are you two talking about?" Jake asked. He stooped to kiss Ryanne's cheek and lightly smack the back of Leah's head.

"Paul's the only one who managed to tell his imprint about wolves without scaring the shit out of her," I explained.

Jake frowned. "No he wasn't. Sam wanted all the imprints to know before the newborn war because it would be too dangerous for them not to. He provoked Paul, just like he provoked Leah. And then she took off to Penn's house. If it hadn't been for Penn, it probably would have been weeks before she spoke to him again."

"Score for the bitches," Leah celebrated. The imprints divided themselves as Bitches and the Nice Girls... And Nate. I rolled my eyes. "You have a chance to tell her, Seth. And unlike the rest of us, you have to chance to tell her and explain without threats looming over your head."

I nodded and said my goodbyes, thinking that I just needed to get to my imprint and explain. When I walked through the door of our home, though, Tucker was already ladling out the soup. I suffered dinner in near silence, answering whatever questions there were, but really trying to prepare myself for the night to come. I bathed the boys and got them tuckered in, helped Jay with homework while Tuck finished the dishes.

Finally, _finally_ we were alone. "Tuck, can I - - will you come out back with me? I have to show you something."


	23. Chapter XXII

**Author's Note: Okay, so I had someone review and comment that this reveal is much earlier than my others. This is with good reason. Oh, and please don't hate me. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXII**

Seth led me out to the backyard, his hand wrapped around mine. His thumb stroked over the back of my hand as we walked. "What did you want to go to school for?" he asked me. We had talked a few days ago about my acceptance to the University of Maine, back before life fell apart. I wasn't able to go once we found out that my sister was pregnant. Someone needed to be home with Jay and the babies while two others worked. It was one of the many things that caused my resentment of my niece and nephews in the beginning.

"I wanted to be a research journalist," I admitted. "I wanted to ask questions and dig deeper. I wanted to be the person that found out the truth underneath it all." It seemed silly now, to think that I could do anything like that. 'Back in high school, I was the pain in the ass with all the questions. My senior year, an English teacher recommended I look into researching."

"Ask your questions first and pass judgement later." I nodded with his assessment of it. "Because everything is not always as it seems."

"Exactly." I beamed up at him, glad that he could understand what I was saying.

"Could you keep that in mind tonight. Because I promise you that this is not what it looks like." Fear struck into my hear at his words. I knew Seth to be a good guy, probably the kindest that I had ever known. But that wouldn't mean that he didn't have secrets. A man that perfect just couldn't exist. Still, I nodded. I couldn't risk losing him and everything that I had with him because he had some secrets. Everyone did. I would just have to hear him out, figure out what he was hiding. "One thing," he said suddenly. He stepped forward and caught the back of my head in his hand. His mouth came crashing down on mine.

I was startled by the initial intensity of his kiss, unlike anything that I had felt before. I quickly found myself melting, however. My knees trembled as he wrapped his other arm around my waist. My hands were limp against his chest, but I could feel his heart beating wildly against my palm. I was falling far too quickly for this boy and I didn't care. Not at the moment; not with his arms tightening about me; not with his lips mashed against mine. I trembled and moaned against him. Finally, he pulled away from me. A tremulous smile wavered on his lips. "I just needed to do that one last time; just in case," he explained.

"In case of what?"

"Stay right here, okay?" I nodded, assuming that he just wasn't going to answer my question. He strode a few dozen paces away from me and stared up at the moon. "You have to promise me that you'll think things through before you freak out. Pass judgement later."

"Seth, you're scaring me," I admitted.

"Just trust me." I nodded again. Seth stripped out of his shirt, tossing it aside and leaving his bare chest to gleam in the moonlight. His basketball shorts came off next, leaving him standing in front of me in naught more than his boxers. "Don't worry, I won't take these off. Just watch me, okay?" Again, I simply bobbed my head in agreement. Seth closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his limbs slowly beginning to shake.

"Seth?" He kept trembling, his limbs becoming a blur in the air around him. "Seth?" There was a whimper from him, a sound akin to pain. He was hurting? "What's happening to you?" I begged him but he didn't answer me. The air grew heavy, the sound of bones snapping hit my ears. In an explosion of fur, Seth was no longer standing before me. Instead, there was a wolf, the size of which I'd never seen.

It's sandy brown fur looked soft and warm, almost tempting me to take a step forward and run my fingers through it. Canine teeth the size of my thumb stared at me when he opened his mouth, teeth that were made to tear apart. "Seth?" The wolf bobbed its head. Its mouth opened wide, his tongue lolling out the side in a grin that I knew so well. Light hit his eyes, the same dark eyes that I felt myself drowning in everyday. "Seth? Is that you?"

He yipped happily, a smile on his wolf face. "But - - but how? How could this happen? It can't. It's not real." He took a step closer to me, but I backed away. I was shaking, fear taking over all of me. Like a dog wanting to please its master, the wolf Seth sank to the ground. He laid his head on his front paws and crawled over to where I was, moving slowly. "How - - Can you... Can you go back to being human Seth?" He nodded against his fur and stood. Every movement was exaggerated, slow so that I would know what he was doing. He took his clothing in his mouth ad darted behind the shed. The musical cadence of bones snapping and crackling and Seth was standing before me again.

"Just let me explain," he began, his hands held up like a fugitive surrendering.

"What are you?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm a Spirit Warrior, Tucker. It's a tribal thing. I have a book for you to read. We protect people."

"Protect them from what?" I asked then. Maybe he was meant to protect me from David. Perhaps that's what had brought me to La Push. To Seth.

"Vampires."

I couldn't help the strangled, hysterical laugh that escaped my throat. "You want me to believe that you're some ancient breed of Warrior Dog who fights vampires in order to save the people? Are you fucking nuts?"

"Tucker, I know that it's a lot to take in, but you have to trust me on this."

"How does it happen?" I asked. "Or is it all explained in this book?"

"I don't know; I haven't read to book." I rolled my eyes. He wanted me to rely on something he'd never even read. "When we feel threatened or angry, we turn into wolves. It's how we -"

"When you lose your temper," I breathed. "You could explode into this thing at any time?"

"No, Tucker. I have a hold on my temper. You can ask all of the guys, I have the best control of everybody."

"Of _everybody?_ Those guys that were here, holding my kids, they're _all_ wolves?"

"Tucker, you promised - -"

"That I wouldn't pass judgement. I'm not judging you, Seth; I promise. I just..." I looked down at the grass. "You can't control it. None of you can. What happens when something pisses you off? All it takes is that one time, right?"

"It doesn't happen like that."

"How do you know? Just because you haven't lost control before doesn't mean that it can't happen now. How am I supposed to trust that you won't let it happen?" I asked him. "You and your friends, you could easily lose it and hurt me or my brother or my kids."

"Tucker, I haven't hurt you yet. I would _never_ hurt you or the kids."

I pressed my right hand over my mouth and covered it with my lips. I knew that he was too prefect, that something had to go wrong. I turned from him then, ignoring the shout of my name, and sprinted into the house. "Jay!" I shouted. "Jay!" My brother came running out of the bedroom, his shirt sloppily thrown on. "Get your stuff and get the car packed. We're leaving."

"Tucker, what happened?" he begged me.

"I'm not explaining to you right now. Get your things, get the kids things, and let's get out of here." Without another word, Jay turned and marched back to his room. I heard him muttering to himself, his drawers opening and slamming shut as he gathered his things.

"Tucker, please, don't do this," Seth begged me. "I promise that I won't hurt you guys. You don't understand."

"I understand that you don't think anything will happen. And maybe I could believe that if it was just me. But I have a family to think about, Seth. I have a fifteen-year-old and three infants that all need me. I can't be selfish. What happens when one of the babies throws up on you? That's going to piss you off. What happens when Jay runs his mouth again. He's a teenager, for Christ's sake. He's going to do things that he wants without caring what you think. What if you lose your temper then?"

"It doesn't work like that. I promise you, Tucker."

"I have my things, Tucker," Jay said solemnly. "I'll go and get the kids' stuff."

"We're leaving, Seth. I can't do this to my kids."

"Please, Tucker, I'm begging you. Don't take them from me. Please!"

"I can't, Seth." His lips were shaking. He handed me a leather bound book.

"Read it, Tucker. _Please!_"

I grabbed the book and placed it in my purse. Jay came downstairs with the boys. I jogged up the steps to grab Lacey, leaving all of my furniture behind. "Goodbye, Seth."


	24. Chapter XXIII

**Author's Note: Here's the newest chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXIII**

We got back to our house, the house that I was actually paying off. Lacey and Wesley hadn't stopped crying since we got home. Westyn was happily sleeping in the playpen, since I had left their cribs at Seth's. Finally, now that the time was coming close eleven o'clock, Lacey had finally fallen asleep. Wesley, on the other hand, refused. So I put down one babe in exchange for another and settled down on the couch. "Why did we have to leave?" Jay asked me when I was sitting on more comfortably. Wesley's howling took up any silence between us.

"It's a long story, Jay, I'm not getting into this with you right now," I promised him. I was sorely tempted to search the internet for ways to calm a baby down. Of course, I knew what Wesley really wanted. He wanted the same thing that I did; the same thing that Jay wanted. Seth. A heavy sigh echoed in the quiet around us. Quiet. It was quiet. I looked down to see Wesley finally sleeping against my chest, tear track streaming down his cheeks. "This is going to be a very long process," I muttered to myself.

"It wouldn't be if you weren't overreacting to whatever is going on," he snapped at me.

"Jay, you don't know what's going on." I sighed and looked down at the ground. "I have to put Wesley down and then you and I will talk, okay?" He rolled his eyes and nodded his head while I walked away. I didn't return right away, though. I closed the babies' bedroom door and laid Wes down in another play-crib. With another heaving gasp, I pushed my back against the bedroom door and slid to the floor. "I have to protect these kids," I muttered to myself. A good guy on the outside and a wolf on the inside. Any little freak out could hurt Jay or kill my children. "I don't have time for this," I said, wiping away a tear that had yet to fall and pushing myself up to my feet.

Jay was still sitting on the couch where I had left him. Why are things always so difficult? "Why did we have to leave?" he asked again.

"Because I needed to keep you guys safe and that's all I'm going to say on this matter," I promised him.

"You're keeping secrets from me, Tucker?" he demanded. "You said that I was your partner in caring for these children and you're going to hide the truth from me?"

"You're right, Jay," I retorted jumping up from my seat. "You're my partner in caring for those three in that room." I jabbed a finger at the wooden portal. "But at the end of the day, I'm the one who cares for you. I don't have a partner in taking care of you. I can't tell you what's going on."

"But we had to leave the only place that any of us felt safe?"

"You don't feel safe here?" I crossed my arms over my chest like it would create some kind of shield.

"Don't be stupid, Tucker," my little brother demanded of me. We both know that you felt safer there, with Seth right beside us, than any of us have since Mom died." He glared at me, but I couldn't tell whether he was punishing me for killing our mother or angry that I made him leave. "He's a good guy, Tucker. Why are you being such a bitch about this?"

"You don't know what's going on," I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.

"You're head over heels for the boy, Tuck. I can see; his friends can see it. Hell, even the babies know that he's someone that's supposed to be in our lives. Why are you fighting this?"

"We're not talking about this!" I declared. I'm sure it felt sudden to him. "Go to your room. You have school tomorrow."

"Are you seriously putting me in my bedroom like an infant?"

"Whether you like it or not, Jameson Mills, I am the parent in this fucked up family. You have school tomorrow. Now take yourself off to your bedroom and get some rest. I won't have any more of this argument tonight." Like an indignant child, Jay grabbed his things and marched off to his room. The slam of his door echoed in the quiet surrounding the house. It lasted only a minute, though. Soon enough, Westyn was awoken by the cracking thunder of the door. "I hope your happy," I muttered at Jay's door as I passed him by to go and get my baby nephew.

It was Westyn's turn to be upset by the turn of events in the day. I had disrupted all of their sleeps with my impulsive decision. "It was not impulsive," I growled, looking down at the baby in my arms. "Seth could hurt anyone of you three, not to mention Jay. All of those friends that were there," I hissed under my breath. "I can't let anything happen to you guys." I hummed a little, just the cadence of the lullaby that I'd heard Seth singing to them. As I'd hoped, it lulled the little boy to sleep.

Wishing for Seth's bed, because I wouldn't allow myself to wish for the man himself, I pulled out my pillows and blanket. I settled myself on the couch when a knock sounded at the front door. I wrapped my robe around me, feeling tired and old beyond my years, and walked to the front door. Seth stood at the front door, his eyes pleading with me. "Can we please, please, _please_ talk?"

I opened the front door wide, making sure that I could hear the babes if I needed to, and stepped out front. "I have nothing to say to you, Seth," I said to him.

"You can't just take them from me, Tucker. Please. I want to explain to you, please."

"They're not your kids, Seth. No matter how much you want to be their father, you're not," I made sure to point out. "I'm grateful for your care of my children. But you're not responsible for us. I won't be responsible for any lapse. I can't let my kids get hurt."

"Why does me being a wolf change all of these things for you, Tucker? I haven't hurt you before. I told you that I would protect you guys. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I saw you _explode_, Seth. It wasn't like it was some small thing were you were a wolf and then you were a human. You literally blew up and turned into a wolf," I snapped at him. "What if that happens when one of the babies are too close? Or Jay?"

"That doesn't happen," he vowed.

"You can promise me that no one human being has ever been harmed by one of you guys?" A flash of something that looked like remembrance shot through his eyes. "Say it, Seth, and I'll try to listen to you."

"It was an accident, Tucker, and nothing like that has happened since," he tried.

"No. I won't let it even be an option, Seth. I can't; I promised my sister that I would take care of her children. Supernatural wolves are not on the list of things of acceptable, _safe_ things," I countered.

"Please, Tucker, I'm literally begging you. I need you guys. Please, don't do this to me. I won't come around as often. I'll go to the shop more often. Please."

"Consider this my resignation, Seth."

"Tucker." He was begging, truly begging just like he said that he would.

"You have two weeks to find someone else for Jay's job," I added.

"Tucker if you'll just give me a chance to explain. Or read the book. But don't just cut me out of your life. Please!"

"We don't need you, Seth. We'll make it on our own without any help." I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't want to do this to him. I could see the hurt on his face. I could feel the pain stinging my heart. I didn't want to do this to either one of us. But I had to take care of my family.

"Will you just read the book?" he pleaded again.

"You need to leave, Seth. And you need to not come back here again." I retreated before I could look in his eyes. I needed him, more than I wanted to. I couldn't have him, though. He would hurt the kids. Those dark eyes could promise me different for the rest of my life. I would cling to the fact that he would hurt them. "I'll keep your secret, Seth; I promise."

I closed and locked the door and ran to the kitchen. I sat on the barstools, staring at the empty refrigerator. My phone vibrated in my purse, causing me to dig through the fabric until I found the device... Buried underneath the leather bound book.

It was best to know your enemy, though Seth would never be considered my enemy. It stood to reason that I should know more about the thing that he was. I planted myself on the couch then and buried my face in the book.


	25. Chapter XXIV

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXIV**

I read the entire book cover to cover. I think that I was so emotionally exhausted that I didn't even realize what I was reading. I kept trying, every single night, but none of it was seeming to sink in. I was living on my savings account, as I still hadn't found a job since quitting Seth two weeks prior. Of course, it wasn't my lack of a job that was causing tension in the house. As I had demanded, Seth had found a replacement for Jay. What's more, the man hadn't even implicated me in the matter. Jay still figured it out, but Seth hadn't actually said anything.

"I got _fired_, Tucker. F-I-R-E-D, fired!" he shouted at me. I didn't say anything, just kept staring at the wall in front of me and hoping something would appear to swallow me whole. "He hasn't even done anything to you and you are treating him like the slime beneath your feet." He doesn't know the truth, I chanted to myself. It was the only way that I could keep from turning around and screaming at him. "Everyone is fucking miserable and you just don't give a shit, do you?"

"All right, that's enough." I slammed the frying pan I was using for dinner and turned to glare at my brother. "I know that you don't like what's going on right now, Jay. I get it, okay? I'm not happy with the situation either. But what you don't get to do is say that I don't care." I saw fear flash in my little brother's eyes, fear that I myself had once held for my mother. At least I managed to get something right. "Just because you don't like the decisions that I've made doesn't mean that I don't care. I do; the whole reason that everyone is a miserable as they are is because I'm having to make a decision to protect you guys."

He bit his lip and stared at me like a deer caught in the headlights. "I have given up_ everything_ for you guys, Jameson. I have said goodbye to all of my hopes and dreams," and now to the man that I was falling in love with, "so that I could keep you guys safe. And for all your bitching and moaning, I would do it again in an instant. So if you want to make me the bad guy because you want someone to blame, then fine. Could you do it in your head though? Because I don't need anymore shit tonight."

I dumped the stir fry into a serving bowl and turned on my heel. In my anger, I knew that I needed to leave the house. I left Jay his food, gathered all three children into the triple stroller and left. I knew that he was shouting after me. I knew that he was sorry, but I couldn't handle it anymore. Thankful that I was in yoga pants and tennis shoes, I began jobbing. It was difficult with the cumbersome stroller, but really who cared at this point?

I was falling in love with Seth. It sucked, especially since I couldn't have him. He was well beyond my reach. Even if I went back to him and begged - - Well, I wouldn't take someone who had said such terrible things back. My breath came in ragged gasps as I tried not to sob and run at the same time. I just kept pushing, running harder and harder, listening to Westyn laugh as the wind hit his little face. When I couldn't breathe anymore, when the sawing became impossible, I stopped.

I found myself at the park where I had been taking the kids lately. Lacey kicked her feet wildly, probably wanting to run through the grass until she tripped over her feet and planted her face in the ground. I turned them around so that they were all facing me. Wesley and Westyn were both asleep, tucked underneath the thick wool blanket I had brought with me. Lacey, however, was bouncing as much as she could, trying desperately to get out of her stroller. "Okay, little monster," I muttered.

I leaned down into the basket behind the stroller and grabbed another thick blanket for the girl to crawl around on. The ground was damp, but not sopping. I put the blanket down and let my niece come down on the grass with me. She giggled and oohed, patting the blanket and laughing at her little comments. It didn't take long for Lacey's joy to wake her brothers, rousing their jealousy. Me, the girl who was falling apart, suddenly found herself on the ground with three nine-month-olds. Keeping them on the blanket almost made me wish for the time when they were infants. Almost.

"Tucker?" The strangled sob startled me and had me grabbing for my kids instantly. I turned to find the ghost of Seth standing in front of me. Well, it was probably really him, but it looked like someone different. His eyes seemed almost sunken into his skull. Dark rings rimmed his eyes. He looked as if he had lost a little weight, his hair had dulled. It had only been two weeks. He bounced baby Luke on his hip, a grim, desperate smile on his lips. "Could Luke play for just a few?"

I sighed and tried to think of a way to deny the child. There was none. You couldn't punish the child for the actions of the parent, or in this case the uncle. Besides that, there was no way I could keep holding back my kids. The three were struggling fiercely to get a hold of their favorite person. Nate came up behind and dropped down on the blanket, uninvited I might add, and took charge of two kids, leaving Seth with the other two. I sat on the edge, feeling like an outsider looking in. "Can I talk to you?"

The quiet, feminine voice startled me. I jumped to my feet and turned to face Leah Crowe. I shook my head, thinking about Seth and the wolf - - and a temper. "He won't hurt them. You really think I would let my son sit there if he was going to hurt him?" I shook my head. I supposed, if Leah could leave her child, that my children would be safe for a few moments. "We won't go far. Two men with four kids is a bit of a worry." Never mind the fact that Seth was still part wolf.

I nodded and took a few steps away. Leah and I leaned against a nearby tree, watching our men with the kids. Well, not _our_ men. I had no claim to Seth. And I couldn't. "You're being a bitch, you know that, right?" she asked me suddenly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I jerked my chin up so that I wouldn't have to see her eyes.

"Bullshit, man. I know about Seth and all of this. I know that you freaked the fuck out," she said. I could hear steely anger laced through her voice. "You're wrong, by the way. We don't just explode into wolves whenever we get angry."

"We?" I felt my throat clog. There was a_ we_?

"Seth didn't tell you?" She looked at me with pity. "I'm the only female wolf in the Pack."

"You're one, too!" I practically screeched. She nodded, cocking her head to the side.

"Don't you think that if I could hurt my son, someone would have taken him from me?" I shrugged, but nodded a little. "You told Seth that he needed to think about what would happen if the kids made him angry. But I have a son and a rather pain-in-the-ass husband. I love them both dearly, which is not to say that they don't make me angry. That doesn't mean that I wolf-out on them every time. That'd be like saying the UFC fighter just beats the shit out of someone whenever he gets frustrated. We know how to control ourselves, Tucker."

Seth's skin seemed to be glowing a little more. A smile stretched across his entire face as he laid down on the blanket with the triplets, letting the three of them crawl over him and slap at his face. "Have you read the book he gave you?" she asked suddenly.

"The Legends? Yeah, I've read it a few time. Cool stories," I managed nonchalantly. Even now, Seth looked carefree. He looked so happy, like he belonged with kids that looked _nothing_ like him.

"They're not _stories_, Tucker. They're our history. That's what you're not getting from that book. The 'stories,'" she held her fingers up as quotation marks, "that you're reading aren't just things that we tell our kids. They're the history of our tribe, how the Quileute came to be." I would have to read the damn book again. "Let me ask you this," she said suddenly. "If all wolves were these angry, killing machines that couldn't help but phase whenever they got angry; if we've had Spirit Warriors in our tribe since the beginning of our time, how have we made it so many generations? I mean, you would think that since none of us can control our tempers, half the tribe should be wiped out by now."

It made sense what she was saying. Somehow, the wolves managed to have children. Hell, Leah had a kid. She seemed normal, not like some superpowered wolf. She had the same frustrations with her husband and child. Neither one of them was dead. "Why don't you keep that in mind when you read the book again? And you should definitely read our _history_ again."


	26. Chapter XXV

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy! I love the reviews. Love & Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter XXV**

"I'm sorry, Tucker," Jay said the second that I walked through the door. I had left without saying a word to Seth. He had been kind enough to help me load the three hungry babes into the stroller. I could see that he'd wanted to say something, that he wanted to explain something more. I couldn't let him. I had a book to read, children to feed, and a life to make sense of. "I didn't mean to imply that you weren't doing what you think is best for us."

"We can talk about it later, okay? I have to get the kids fed and ready for bed." All three infants were in a much better mood, the half hour they spent with Seth infecting them. It brought unwelcome tears to my eyes. Jay stayed silent and out of my way for the next two hours while I got the kids fed and bathed and dressed and settled into their playpens. I felt bad, especially since I knew that I could go back to Seth's and get the cribs. My cowardice was making that impossible for me, though.

Finally, I grabbed the leather bound book and walked to the couch. It seemed to fit to my hands, like my fingers had made permanent indents from all the time that I spent holding it. "Can we talk now?" Jay asked, sitting on the far side of the couch. He dragged one barefoot up onto the cushion with him, wrapping his arms around it and facing me fully.

"Are you going to be an ass?" I asked, exhaustion creeping in. I hadn't felt well since I left Seth's house. Seeing him today seemed to make it worse. No; walking away from him, from his warmth, made it worse. Jay shook his head, the motion dragging me from the light smile of my dreams and to the painful reality that I had created for myself.

"Did he hurt you, Tucker?" Jay asked me.

"Who?"

"Seth." I couldn't help but laugh at that. Until I had seen him change into that monstrous thing, his harming anything hadn't even crossed my mind. I shook my head, barely holding my mirth in check. Then what did he do, Tucker? I know that you think you're protecting all of us, but your causing _everyone_ pain. Including yourself, Sissy." I couldn't stop the tears from bubbling up once more.

"He's - - Seth might not be as safe as we thought that he was, Jay. That's the most that I can tell you, okay?" He pursed his lips and looking out in the empty space. There was a heavy silence that lingered between us for a long moment.

"I know that this isn't what you want to hear, but I think that you're wrong here." I looked over at the grandfather clock that used to sit in our family living room in Maine so I wouldn't have to meet my brother's eyes. "The first time that I met David, I went into Sam's room and begged her not to go out with him." I gave a harsh snort of a laugh. I had done the same. "There was something about him that screamed dangerous. I could just _tell_ that he was a bad guy. That feeling that I got with David - - I get the exact _opposite_ feeling from Seth. He's patient, good with the kids, great with you. He's just a nice guy."

"You don't know everything, Jay, and I already told you that I wouldn't tell you more," I cautioned.

"You want to know what I think, Tucker?" Whether I wanted to or not, he rushed forward, "I think that you fell for him." I blinked at him in surprise, my jaw quivering. "You have a bad habit of blaming yourself for things that you're not responsible for, Tucker. You did it with Dad and you've definitely done it with Mama and Sammy. I think that you're afraid to let yourself trust Seth because if anything happens to him, you'll blame yourself again." I shook my head even as my heart pounded with the truth of his statement. I was doing this to protect my family. "My big sister, cool as she was, used to say that you don't catch any fish if you don't throw the line out there. I think we can say that you've pretty much put your pole away."

"I think it's time for bed, Jay," I said before he could push anything else on me.

For the first time in two weeks, my brother rose and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, Sissy. I love you." His footfalls pounded against the wooden flooring, his door's click echoing in the silence. I grabbed the book and clutched a little closer to my chest.

"The histories of their people," I muttered to myself. I would reread these damn pages until that fact set in. These were the true facts, the way that the people came to be a part of the world.

And suddenly, I wasn't just seeing words on a page. I could see men and women who looked like the friends that I had made since moving out here. I could see someone who looked remarkably like Jake fighting some unknown evil. Jake was always the leader in the pictures in my head. Sue made a perfect model for my mental Third Wife. The woman captivated me, her devotion to her family, her determination to protect her husband and sun. _The imprint bond forever ties the souls together. They feel what the other feels; the fear, the pain, the joy. To doubt the imprint's bond, to betray it results in pain that most actively avoid. Bound forever, two parts of one whole. Separation causes pain to both. Rejection of this bond would tear the wolf in two._

I was Seth's imprint. That's why he had looked so terrible when I had seen him at the park today. I was tearing him apart, killing him from the inside out. "Oh Seth, what have I done?" I asked the air around me. I continued reading, learning more of the Cold Ones, the imprints, the treaty that was made. In the back of the book, hand written pages stood out. Feeling cursive writing stood out against the gleaming white pages.

The new Pack was detailed, all the horrors that they had been through. Harry Clearwater's death was described; Seth's father. He had been attacked by a redheaded vampire who had been hunting Bella Swan. I was coming to hate the girl described in the pages. She seemed selfish, cruel, and manipulative. She used everything and everyone to her advantage. This was his life. They weren't dangerous; they were protectors.

It was everything that Seth had tried to tell and yet, it seemed so much more now. I was bound to him, now and forever. Now I just had to to figure out how to apologize to the man. I had said such hateful things to a boy who lost his father, his childhood, his youth, to a responsibility greater than anything anyone else had. Tears began streaming down my face as I realized what I had assumed about him, the things that I had done to him.

Car tires screeched to a halt, dirt and pebbles spraying onto my porch and landing with a tinkering sound. I jumped, my heart thumping in my chest. I threw the book on the sofa behind me and dashed to the door. The black Chevy that I knew all too well gleamed in the porch lights. "Shit," I breathed. Thankful that La Push was an old town with old houses, I locked the bolt on the door and threw a rotating two-by-four beam into the brackets that were attached to the door. "Give me a few minutes until the break down the windows," I hissed.

I sprinted to the back room. Careful not to rouse the kids, I bundled them in their warmest clothes and laid them in the triple stroller. Never had I been so grateful that the seats reclined all the way back. I covered each tiny body with a thick wool blanket and laid another blanket over the opening to keep them from the chilly Washington air. "Jay!" I shouted in a whisper, shaking his shoulder. "Jay, you need to wake up."

"What? What is it? I have school tomorrow," he grumbled. He pried his eyes open to look at me. He must have seen the franticness in my eyes because he shoved himself upright. "What's wrong, Tucker?"

"I don't have time to answer your question. We only have a minute more, maybe. The kids are in the stroller. You need to leave, Jay." His eyes furrowed and he began to open his mouth. "No, Jameson. You have to listen to me. I. Need. You. To. Leave. Now. You are going out the backyard, through the forests. Find a road and get to Seth's as fast as you came. You'll be safe there."

"But you just said -"

"I know what I said. You were right and I was wrong. Take the kids to Seth's. Tell him that I sent you there to be safe, okay? Go in the shed and bar the door. Stay there until me or Seth comes to get you, okay?"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"You need to go. Come on." I didn't even give him a moment to put a shirt on. He pulled his wool lined boots onto his feet and met me in the kitchen area. Silently, the two of us rolled the kids to the back porch and carried them down the stairs.

"Tucker -"

"Tell Seth that I'm sorry, okay? Tell him that I told you guys to go there to be safe and that I'm so sorry." He seemed to understand that was as much as he going to get out of me at the moment. His arms snagged me in a quick hug and then grabbed the rubber-grip bar and started off through the forest, the darkness of the night swallowing him whole. "Alright guys," I said, looking up at the stars and hoping my parents and sister would hear me. "I've done the best I can. You've got to get them to Seth's and then he'll keep them safe."

I turned back into the house just as the window pane was shattered. Grateful that I had locked and barred the back door as well, I tried to appear calmer than I was. He climbed through, glass slicing at his arms and shins as he walked. "Where are they, Tucker?" he demanded.

"I haven't seen you in almost seven months. Is that your way of greeting me, David?"

He thundered across the room and gripped my throat in one icy, meaty hand. "I told you I would find you. Where the fuck are they?"


	27. Chapter XXVI

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XVI:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

A pounding at my backdoor pulled me from my wondrous dream. Dreams where Tucker wasn't mad at me, where we were living our happily ever after imprint and wolf with our four children. Seeing her at the park had been the sweetest kind of torture that could exist. She looked sad, physically ill, and still the most beautiful creature that I had ever laid eyes on. The pounding on the door continued. Reality called. So I shoved myself out of bed and stumbled blindly to the source of the disturbance. I threw the sliding glass door aside, the winter air practically steaming against my naturally hot skin. Jay stood on the other side, his teeth clattering in the darkness and a large apparatus between us. "What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded.

"God you look like shit," he said. His bare chest shone bright in the moonlight, almost turning blue. I didn't know if it was because of the cold or merely a trick of the light, but it sent fear stabbing through my heart.

"What the hell do you think you're doing outside without a shirt on?" I grabbed what I quickly recognized as a covered stroller and hauled the four of them inside. "Are you insane? What were you thinking taking them out here? It's February, Jay. Get in here. I'll start the fire."

"We don't have time for that," he stuttered. "Tucker needs you."

"Look, dude, I know that you're not happy with your sister's decisions, but that doesn't mean that you can just disobey her," I said.

"No, Seth, you're not listening." Jay actually pulled away from me, leaving the triplets in my care alone. I lifted the thick wool blanket that was covering them from the wind and tested their sweet faces for any chill. I sighed in relief, glad to find that they were plenty warm enough. "Tucker sent me," he continued. I stopped dead, Westyn and Lacey wrapped in my arms.

"Your sister told you to come here?"

"Yes; she needs your help, Seth. She said to tell you that she was sorry. And then she told me to run, to get us here to you because we'd be safe," he explained. She'd read the book. She understood. She was trusting me with her children, with her burdens.

My joy was short lived, though. Because for Tucker to send her brother and three babes swathed in blankets out into the cold night would only mean that he had finally come for her, that she was in danger beyond all belief. "She stuck this in the bag," he added, pulling my book from the depths of Tuck's diaper bag. Her handwriting glared at me, recognizable from all the notes that she'd left around the house to remind herself of the things that needed doing. A pink sticky note stuck to the top of the binding with two simple sentences. _I'm sorry. Read it to them._ Something was severely wrong.

"Did your sister give you any other instructions?" I asked then. It would see the girl had thought of everything.

"She said to look ourselves in the shed and wait for her to come and get us," he said. "You have to go help her, Seth. You must."

"Let's get you to the shed, all four of you." I placed the sleeping little ones in their places in the stroller and began to shove it out the backdoor. "There's a space heater in the back that should keep you guys warm. You can use this to sleep while you wait. There's some food in the little fridge as well," I ruled. "You lock the door and use the steel bar, not the wood. Okay?"

"Thank you, Seth," he said. I quickly pulled the boy into a hug, knowing that it was probably strange for him.

"You guys stay here. Be safe." I shoved away and stood outside, listening to the scrape of metal and wood as Jay did as I had commanded. A few moments longer to make sure that none of babies woke up and then I was off.

I phased instantly, glad that I had left a change of clothing by Tucker's house as the shreds of mine drifted down to the ground around me. My paws barely hit the dirt as I sprinted, growing restless and fearing for her safety. _Where's the fire?_ Collin whispered in my head.

_I don't have time to explain. Get out!_ I commanded. I could feel my Pack brother's shock at my harshness. It was a rare moment when I was unwilling to play peacekeeper. But my concern was not for their feelings; I needed to get to my imprint. I needed to keep her safe. A pain, ghostly and most definitely not mine, stabbed at my shoulder, then my stomach, and finally my thigh seared through me. Easily ignorable, I shoved forward. My imprint was in pain. Something was hurting her. _Not something,_ the wolf in me was quick to remind. _Someone._ I pushed myself a little harder until the house came into view.

A black Chevy was there, the reflection of the porch lights gleaming in its windows. A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air, the sound shooting through my heart and into my spine. Tucker. "Where the fuck are my boys, Tuck? You know I'll find them. I suppose you've hidden them all together," a voice continued. It had to be David. He was here. He had found them and now Tucker was to pay the price. "If I must keep the bitch, I could."

Tucker whimpered, the scent of her mingling with salt. Her tears, no doubt. I could feel more ghost pains as I neared the house. "Why do you even what them?" Tucker's voice demanded. "You didn't want them before, remember? Sammy tried to tell you; she gave you the option."

I phased out and dressed, coming up on the front door. Everything in me said that I should charge the house, find her, kill the bastard and get out. But I had to be cautious. I couldn't let him know that I was here. He would probably kill her. The metallic clap of skin on skin didn't help my control in any way. Tucker let out a quiet gasp when he hit her. I growled, but continued forward on silent feet. "Your sister was a thorn in my side. I loved her for her looks, God knows, but the woman was impossible to control. No matter what I did to train her, she fought." Tucker's body was racked with sobs as she fought for control of herself. "You and your brother were no better, though," he continued.

"Go burn in hell," she growled. My lips twitched involuntarily. The women was a fighter if ever one existed.

"Why would I want anything to do with those bastard infants when your sister would be the one raising them? They would be under your mother and your sister's influence. God, you were all four too pious for me," the devil continued. "Of course, when they died, it became all too easy. Your sister would have no say in their raising."

"Why the boys?" her voice was haggard now, more like a cough than the melody I was used to. "Why not your daughter?"

"I can't very well fuck my daughter, now can I?" My stomach wretched at the question as I inched closer. "There's no real use for her, but I could at least teach the boys how to be real men."

"You are the lowest scum to ever walk this earth!" she screeched. "And you will never find them."

"You sound so sure. I found you once, did I not?" He laughed. The sound of spitting came next, but now I was close enough to see through the windows.

The devil, with his greasy dark hair and bitter green eyes, had my imprint on her hands and knees in the corner between the living room and the kitchen. She cowered, her hands strung up over her hair and bound at the wrists. I recognized Jim from our previous encounter, his fingers wrapped around the rope that held her wrists together. It couldn't feel pleasant, although I suppose it was nothing compared to the dark bruises that marred the side of her face. Red curls blended with the blood dripping down her cheek. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, her lips trembling with exhaustion. "You won't find them this time, David. They're safe; safer than they've ever been."

The trust that she was giving, the gift she freely bestowed infused me with love I never thought I'd feel. "You think your brother can keep them safe from me? I'll cut him down to size, Tucker. If you keep running your mouth, I'll make you watch," David threatened. The gleam of a knife caught my attention then. He drew it down her forearm, but Tucker didn't make a single sound. Her heartbeat quickened though and then began to fade.

From my place against the porch, I could see a faint smile on her lips. "He won't let you get them, David. Not ever."

The man's eyes lit up with glee as he realized what Tucker had given away. "How sweet. You've fallen in love with you boss." Tuck's eyes went wild. She sagged against her bonds, forcing Jim to jerk her upright. "I suppose those no more use for you." He nodded to Jim, who tied the rope off to keep her there in a series of knots I'd never seen before. "Light it." Jim lifted his lighter's flame to the rope.

No.


	28. Chapter XXVII

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying! Love & Thanks!**

* * *

**XXVII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

I should have smelled it; I should have realized that it was there, but I didn't. The kerosene now burned my nose as the ropes wrapped tight around my imprints wrists jumped to life, flames licking at the walls and finally, her hands. "Tucker!" I screamed. My shout frightened the bastards. In a quick movement that I was too far away to stop, David buried the knife to the hilt in Tucker's shoulder before scurrying out the backdoor. The coppery smell of her blood mixed with the salt of her tears and the harsh toxins in the kerosene. Her head lolled to the side, like she lacked the strength to pick it up. I would get her out and find one of the guys. They could stand guard outside the shed until I got there.

I could hear her sobbing quietly as I rushed closer, the flames having neared her skin. It wouldn't hurt me as much as it was hurting her. At least, that was my reasoning when I reached out and grabbed the flaming threads. But it did hurt, far too much to hold on. I hissed and dropped the rope, doing nothing more than blistering my hands. "The knife," she coughed. She dropped her head to the other side, facing the handle of the hunting knife that had been rammed into her arm.

She lifted her hand to mine and brought it up to the knife, her hand trembling the whole time. I braced my hand on her shoulder, knowing I was going to cause her more pain in order to stop the hurts. She cried out as I yanked the blade from her skin. The good news was that it was sharp enough to run through the rope easily and release her hands. "I'm so sorry, Tucker," I muttered as I gathered her close. I wasn't sure if I was apologizing for hurting her or for not being close by.

"You should be - - home," she panted, her breath rattling in her throat like metal in a windstorm, "with the kids," she continued.

"They're safe, Tucker," I promised instead. I levered her to my chest, ignoring the heat coming from the still burning rope. "Come on, let's get you out of here." There were slices through her shirt, deep into her skin. Her stretch pants were hanging in loose shreds around her legs, revealing more cuts there. And then, of course, there was the blood that was flowing steadily from her shoulder.

"The kids," she coughed. Her normally creamy skin was pale, like ash. Her lips trembled, turning slightly blue.

"Collin!" I screamed. The wolf came prancing out from his hiding place, having followed me like I assumed he would. "I need you to get to my house. Stand in front of the shed and don't move." His wolf eyes narrowed in question, but he ultimately nodded and took off like a speeding bullet. "Collin will keep the kids safe until we get there." She nodded, but it quickly became trembling instead of nodding. "You read the book," I tried to say conversationally. She didn't respond though. Jogging to get to the house as quick as possible, I took the risk of looking down at her.

Her blue eyes rolled until all I could see were the whites of her eyes. Ultimately, her pale lids, almost translucent, slid over her eyes. I had to get her to my mother, to the hospital, somewhere where she would be safe. Collin would keep the children safe. He wouldn't back away from that door until I got there. But where could I put her? Where would she feel comfortable, should she wake before I could come get her?  
Leah.

She knew Leah. Nate could keep her alive while I took care of our family. That's what they were now. They were our children, our family, _our_ responsibility. Leah would protect her. Leah knew what it felt like to have your imprint be in danger like this. I turned away from the path to my house and followed the now well-worn path to Leah and Nate's. "Leah!" I shouted as I got closer, knowing that my sister would hear me. "Leah!"

She came sprinting from the house, anger on her face. "What could you possibly - - What happened?"

"I don't have time to explain."

My sister, God bless her soul, nodded curtly and led me to the house. An orange settee sat against one wall, contrasting with Leah's bright yellow couch. "Put her here," she commanded. I laid my imprint down, smoothing a hand over her hair as I pulled away. Leah disappeared from view, probably to wake Nate and tell him that something was going on. Tucker's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist with more strength than I would have given her credit for. Her normally crystalline eyes were lightening, practically turning white. It was like watching the life drain out of her.

"I love you," she said hurriedly. I could see oblivion crowding in, threatening to claim her. I just wasn't sure if it was claiming her for eternity or for rest. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, sweetheart. You have nothing to be sorry for," I promised her. Still, she trembled and shook her head. "I'm not mad at you, Tucker."

"You should be," she replied quietly.

I shifted my until I was holding her chilling fingers within my own. I pressed a kiss to her knuckles, hoping that somehow the heat from my lips to her and warm her again. "I have to go, Tucker."

"I know." She sobbed as she tried to shift herself around. I could see a small pool of blood forming underneath her. When this was all over, I would probably have to buy my sister a new couch. But it was worth it if I got to have my imprint alive and with me. "Thank you, Seth."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I promised. She nodded again, exhaustion setting in. Her eyes drifted closed, her heartbeat started to slow again until she was asleep. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling it's cold clamminess against my lips.

"I'll take care of her, Seth," Leah promised from behind me. "Go get your kids." I nodded, but not before I could kiss her brow just one more time. I shoved away from the little couch then, rushing to pull my clothes off so that I could phase. I sprinted through the forest, taking the most direct path back to my house, leaping over anything that got in my way.

Collin was standing with his tail against the door of the shed, a growl reverberating in his throat. His back was arched, almost like a cat's, his face low to the ground with a silent dare to make a move. Just to his left, I saw Brady standing as well, having assumed the same position. He was blocking the side windows, I realized. My mind scrambled to come up with a plan, one that would ultimately result in the bastards' deaths. Finally, I phased out and dressed, thinking back to Penn and her attack years ago.

"Boys, down," I commanded as I stepped into my backyard. Collin and Brady both gave a look, but settled back on their haunches like the obedient dogs I was pretending they were. "Did you really think I'd let you get to my kids?" I asked with a laugh.

"That's the one," Jim whispered to his cousin. "Broke my hand like it was a chopstick." I couldn't help but snort at that one. His hand was hardly as stiff as a chopstick. It was more like breaking uncooked pasta, especially when my anger had been flaring.

"Those are not your kids," David said, his eyes shifting between me and the wolves. "Call of your - - uh, dogs."

"I don't think I will," I replied. "You hurt her." It wasn't a question. It wasn't a statement. It was a threat. He'd hurt the woman I loved. His pain would be beyond anything his puny imagination could conjure. My wolf was bloodthirsty, something I'd never felt in my life. I wanted to kill this monster, before he could hurt another soul.

I lunged then, wrapping my hand around his neck and wishing that he was a vampire. Just a little more indestructible so I could play a little longer before killing him. I saw Jim come towards me out of the corner of my eyes. With a sweep of my arm, he was lying in the grass a few dozen feet away. "You should have left her alone." My fingers tightened of their own accord, watching his face turn a darker shade each moment.

And then I dropped him. I shook my head with disbelief, amazed that I had managed to let him go when I was so close to killing him. "You don't deserve death," I snarled. "You deserve to rot in jail for as long as they'll let you. Although if you ask me, it's not long enough." In a feeble attempt, David wrapped his hands around my ankle and tugged. I gave a barefooted kick to his chest, wishing I could do it hard enough to break something.

"You can't kill him," Jake said.

"When did you get here?" I asked.

"Nate called me. He's on his way over to get these two. You can't kill him," he repeated.

"What would you do if someone hurt your imprint the way he did?" I asked. My mind was decided: I wouldn't kill the demon in front of me. But it was a damn fun idea to entertain.

"Murphy did, remember? Ken did the same to Penn. Murphy's now rotting in prison and Ken's been gone for years. You can't kill them. We protect humans, even these scum," he spat at David's head. "So stop thinking about it."

"How?" I growled.

"Your imprint is hurt, bleeding. You think about her, about the things that you could do to make her live," he replied. I took a deep breath, feeling my muscles shudder as I released it. "Go get her. We'll clean up here."

Tucker would want to be here with her kids when this was over. I stuck around long enough to see Nate arrive, wishing that I could be the one to shove him in the car. He didn't deserve kindness or anything of its likes. "Get up," Nate said roughly. He grabbed the man's now cuffed hands and shoved him towards the car. I heard a crack and a thud as David's head was roughly bounced against the low edge of Nate's cruiser. "Should've ducked your head, dipshit."

They clearly have the man in hand just as well as I would, I thought with a smile.


	29. Chapter XXVIII

**Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXVIII**

She couldn't be dead. She couldn't possibly be dead. But she was lying on Leah's settee like a corpse. From the doorway, I couldn't even tell if her chest was rising and falling anymore. "No, no, no," I practically shouted. Leah rushed into the living room from her kitchen, a washcloth in her hands. She shook her head at me with a reproachful look that I'm sure Luke would come to know well in his years. The problem was that I couldn't tell if she was saying that I needed to keep my voice down, or that Tucker had died.

"She's alive," she said in a hushed tone. "Barely, but alive. She doesn't do well with loud noise right now." I nodded and gratefully accepted the cool fabric from my sister's hand. "I know that you were hoping she'd be comfortable here, but she's not, Seth. She tosses and asks for the kids. I honestly don't think she'll rest until she can be with them and know that they're safe." Which was perfect, because I was more than anxious to get her home with me. "I just don't know if she can make it all the way there, Seth. I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the God's honest truth."

"She'll make it," I promised. I sank down on the lounge cushion beside her, mopping away the sweat on her brow. "Tucker, can you hear me?" I asked. She moaned in response, her brow bunching up. "I'm here to take you home, sweetheart," I whispered. Her skin was warm, even to me. Her face was still ashen, proof that she had lost too much blood. "Should I take her to the hospital?" I asked Leah, barely looking up from Tucker's sweet face.

"I think we could call in a favor," she replied. I nodded and turned my full attention back to my imprint.

She tossed her head and grappled with the air, trying to shove herself upright. "Jay! Lacey!" She coughed and winced in pain. "Westyn! No, no, no. Wesley!"

"Sh, Tucker, sh," I begged. "You're going to hurt yourself. I have the kids. They're safe. They're waiting for us at home, just like you asked them to." She calmed visibly and relaxed herself against the couch. "I'm going to take you home now. Would you like that sweetheart?"

"I w-w-want to see them," she demanded.

"You have to promise me you'll stay awake," I replied. "You can't fall asleep on me, Tucker. Okay?"

"I want to go home," she sobbed.

"I know, Tucker," Leah said, coming up with another cloth. "I'm trying to keep her fever from getting too high. It's old school, but the best I could do."

"I want Seth," she cried. "I want my kids."

"I'm right here, Tucker. Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at me." I could tell that it took a great effort on her part, but she managed to pry her lids open so that I could see her bright blue eyes. "That's my girl."

"Seth," she sighed, the whisper more like a prayer.

"I'm going to pick you up and get you all bundled up, okay? Then we'll go home and get our kids." Her head bobbed in agreement, although it quickly became a painful cry when I lifted her up and brought her close to my chest, close to my heart. "I'm so sorry, my love. I didn't want to hurt you but the good news is that now we can get you home, okay?" She nodded again. I watched her lids droop as she turned her face into my chest. "Your don't get to fall asleep, Tucker. You have to stay awake until we get home."

I saw a slight smile play at her lips, but her eyes remained shut. "Yes, sir," she replied quietly. At least there was still some humor to her. "Th-thank you for coming for me, Seth," she stuttered.

"Always."

"And for keeping the kids safe," she tried to add, but her voice was fading away. I gave her a little shake that I hoped wouldn't hurt her. She opened her eyes again and leaned into me a little more. "You told me not to fall asleep, remember?" she muttered.

"I was just making sure that you remembered." She kept her eyes more or less open, but didn't try to hold any of her own weight. It was only a moment later that I was stepping over the threshold of the back gate. "I'm going to take you inside first and then I'll go get the kids, okay? They're in the shed, just like you said." Collin was sleeping in front of the door, in case anything else should come after them. "Give me just a few more minutes, Col, and then you'll be out of here," I promised. He gave a lazy dip of his head and let me march into the house. "It's going to hurt when I put you down, okay Tucker? I Have to go and get the kids."

As I expected, she hissed and snarled when I set her on the icy sheets. They lacked warmth from the sun and body heat, but it was what I had for the moment. "I'll be right back, sweetheart." She didn't respond, which sent another dagger of fear through my heart. I ran as fast as I could down the stairs, grabbing my phone on the way to the shed. I banged on the shed door, instantly feeling back when I heard one of the boys cry out in fear. "Jay, it's Seth. Come on, it's safe now. You guys can come out."

There was a scrap and clatter as Jay threw the steel bar from the brackets and tossed it on the ground. All three infants were howling now, their distress over the night's activities evident. Jay lunged at me the second the door was open. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"Upstairs in our room," I replied. "But Jay, she's -" He didn't give me a chance to warn him. Instead he, brushed past me and up the stairs. I picked up my two boys and gently bounced the in my arms, hushing them. "It's okay boys," I promised. With my toe, I nudged the stroller back and forth to calm my little girl. "Are you guys chilly out here? It's cold, huh? Let's get inside." Wesley had ceased his tears, but Westyn's still rolled in fat blobs down his cheeks. I placed the calmer of the two back alongside his sister and rolled them in the house.

The temperature chance was evident, even to my overheated skin. Westyn was still screeching, but the other two had been lulled back to sleep. Cautious as ever, I left Wesley and Lacey at the bottom of the stairs and brought Westyn up to his cradle. It was the first time in two weeks that I'd had my whole family in our home. Even knowing that Tucker was hurt, it felt good to have my imprint and kids in the house. I lifted the stroller with _both_ hands, not willing to risk the two of them regardless of my extra strength.

Westyn seemed to be glad to be back in his bed. He'd stopped his crying and rolled his chubby body to his belly, sleeping peacefully. Wesley, always the calm one, didn't even wake when I lifted him and placed him back in his bed. Lacey, on the other hand, woke with a start and smiled at me. I looked at her teeth, remembering the _joy_ it had been when she'd been cutting teeth. A little lullaby later, though, she was sleeping just as peacefully as her brothers. She pressed her hand over her pink face and sighed before she went back to sleep.

Only once I was sure that all three of my children were sleeping comfortably did I make the call. Edward and Bella had left town mere months after the incident with the Volturi. The rest of the Cullens had left three years ago. Rosalie and Emmet had gone somewhere on the East Coast where they hoped to start some orphanage or another. Alice and Jasper had returned to Jasper's southern roots, hoping to meet some of his family. Carlisle and Esme had apparently decided to take a couple _decades_ off work and travel the state a little more. The only benefit of this was that they were usually in the nearby area when we really needed them. _"Seth, how can I help you?" _Carlisle asked solicitously when he picked up the phone.

"I was hoping that you would be in the area," I begged.

_"Ironically, we're just outside of Forks on our way up to Alaska to see our family," _he replied. _"Is there something that we can help you with?"_

"My imprint is injured."

_"That seems to be the usual story when I'm called."_ I gave a grim chuckle. _"Although I don't recall you having an imprint."_

"It's a rather recent thing," I said, although it had been several months. "Is there anyway -"

_"We're already heading towards you," _he replied swiftly. _"I have my bag with me, so we should have everything we need. I suppose we'll see you in about fifteen minutes."_ I nodded, gave a short farewell, and hung up.

Stepping out into the hallway, I found Jay sitting on the ground, leaning against the stair railing. "You were supposed to keep her safe," he grumbled.

"It was too late when I got there, Jay. I got her out of there as soon as I could." It wasn't enough for her brother though. He shoved up from the ground and charged, his fists pounding against my chest.

I stood there and waited, feeling his fists try to make bruises. I waited until the shouts turned into sobs to try and stop the beating. I deserved every second of it. But I was afraid that he would be hurting himself in his attempts to do damage to me. I felt his energy flagging then and managed to hold him up. "You were supposed to protect her! I trusted you." The words might have held more malice if his voice hadn't broken in the middle of the sentence. "I trusted her to you. I can't lose her."

I wrapped my arm more around his shoulder, trying to keep from hugging him and hurting his pride. "You're not going to lose her, Jay. I promise you. Come on, let's get downstairs."

"But Tucker -"

"I'm going to stay up there with her, Jay. My friend is a doctor. He's on his way up here to take care of her, okay?"

"I can't sleep down here by myself," he announced when we got into his room. Yeah, I could imagine it would be difficult to sleep away from your sister and niece and nephews after the night they had.

"I have a compromise, okay? You can sleep in the kids' room tonight. Okay? You can be upstairs for the night, but tomorrow you need to go back down. We have to get on with our normal lives," I commanded. He nodded eagerly in agreement and booked it back up the stairs.

His energy only lasted long enough to make up a little bed to lie on. His snores carried through the hallway while I walked on silent feet to the bedroom. Tucker's brow was bathed in sweat and furrowed in pain. She mumbled and moaned, but I couldn't make out her words. I paced nervously, waiting impatiently for Carlisle to get there. But the creaks and noises of the house were driving me mad. Every sound seemed to be an eminent threat to my family, to my imprint. I couldn't do it.

I avoided stepping on Jay and carried the cradles one by one until they were neatly arranged against the wall, giving me barely enough to room to walk through the room. The chaise lounge at the foot of the bed would have to make a decent bed for Jay for the night. There was no way I was letting my family out of my sight tonight. "Jay," I hissed, shaking the boy's shoulder. "Come on, Jay, time to wake up."

"What's wrong? Are the kids okay? Is it Tucker?"

"Sh, everyone's fine. I just got you a better bed set up," I explained. He nodded groggily and shoved himself up. He had his eyes half closed and followed where I led, dropping down on the chaise lounge and snoring almost instantly. I pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and tousled his hair. For my own sanity, I checked on each of the triplets before I headed to the bed and sat myself on the edge of the bed. "Tucker, don't you dare die. We all need you."


	30. Chapter XXIX

**Author's Note: People who were with me when I first started writing on this site remember the way that I used to update. It's nice to feel like life has slowed down enough that I can get back to what I love: writing! I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXIX**

There were whispered voices swirling all around me. And pain; lots of pain. Iron fetters seemed to be holding me in place, icy and frozen. I groaned and tried to turn onto my stomach. "Sh, Tucker. Lie still." Seth. He was here which meant that my kids were here. He would keep me safe, keep my kids safe. If we were all together, which we must be, then David had to be gone. We were safe. Thank God, we were safe.

It was enough to send tears down my cheeks. I had tried so hard to make it stop, but I was just so relieved. "There you are. There's some medication over there. She can have two every twelve hours until she starts to feel a little better. I would say four or five days," a melodic voice whispered.

"Thank you," Set hissed back. I wanted to ask him why we were whispering, but I felt like there was an elephant sitting on my chest. I couldn't keep from the darkness that was surrounding me. The cold was removed and left only a heavy, swirling warmth behind it. I didn't want to fall asleep again. I wanted to see my kids, to see Seth. He had to know how sorry I was. I shouldn't have done the things that I'd done. I should have said the things that I'd said.

He'd asked me not to judge him, to think first. I had done exactly what he'd pleaded with me _not_ to do. I was a miserable excuse for a human and an even worse excuse for an imprint. I was supposed to be his soulmate, his support. God knows that the boy had supported me for months now. The only tie that he asked for anything from me, I hadn't given it to him. Him; the boy who gave me anything and everything that I asked for. I have no doubt that he would have given me the moon if I asked. "I'm sorry," I tried to say. I pried my eyes open to make sure that I wasn't talking to the air and found Seth leaning over me with a gleam in his eyes. "I'm sorry," I repeated.

"Everything's okay now, Tucker. Look," he implored. He moved from my sight to show me the three cradles lined up neatly against the wall. Underneath pictures of Leah, Sue, Nate, Luke, and Seth, my kids were sleeping peacefully. "Jay is asleep right here at the foot of the bed too," he added.

"I didn't mean the things that I said, Seth. I'm so sorry," I tried to tell him. He kept smiling though, his hand smoothing over my hair. It dawned on me that I wasn't talking out loud. I was giving my apologies in my head, whee he couldn't hear me. "You took care of my kids. I don't know how to thank you. I'm really sorry for what I've done."

"You need to rest, Tucker. That's the only way that you're going to get better," he whispered. "Come on." He leaned down and shifted around until he had settled himself beside me. He laid an arm over my waist, the wounds there stinging. "I don't want to hurt you, Tucker. I'm sorry." He pulled his arm back, but I didn't want that. I gripped his arm with the strength that I had left and tugged until it was resting on my waist again.

The next that I remember, there were children sobbing around me. I was too weary to lift my hands, to take care of my children. I could hear Seth crooning to them, though. He warmth was absent from the bed, but his voice said that he was still in the room. "Mama's been asleep for a long time, huh?" he asked one of them. "She must be tired after saving you from that bad man." Someone cooed in response to his questions and gave a decidedly feminine giggle. I heard him inhale a long breath and then blow a raspberry on one of the babies.

I recognized Wesley's laugh as soon as it hit the air. "You shouldn't be too loud, little dude," he laughed in response. "Your mama needs her sleep." There was a slap and Seth gave an oomph sound like he hadn't expected the blow. He gave a throaty chuckle followed by the shuffling of some clothing and blankets. "You two have got to be the silliest boys I've ever been around." There was some more slapping sounds and some infant babbling. "Don't think you're off the hook, little princess. You are just as troublesome as your brothers."

"Seth?" Jay! That meant all three of the babies and my brother were here. "Did you want me to make lunch today?" he asked.

"No," Seth replied in a sing-song voice. "I think we can all go downstairs for lunch before we take a nap." It was clear that he was talking to the babies still. I wanted to smile, to laugh. I felt so tired. Each of my limbs weighed nearly a million pounds. Each muscle must weigh nearly a thousand. It was becoming impossible for me to stay awake much longer. "While you three monsters take your naps, your brother and I will finish painting his bedroom. We will." I wished that I could smile at him, laugh with my family, but oblivion was there again. It wouldn't be much longer before I would be asleep, unaware of the world around me.

"Six days, Tucker. Don't you think it's about time that you woke up?" Seth was whispering in my ears. "I know that you need your rest, but can't we agree that you're being just a _tad_ bit lazy?" I would have smacked him if my arms weren't so heavy. "Pissing you off isn't even working," he muttered, but I think it was more for himself than for me. "Even Carlisle came by and said that you're being lazy. Well, not in those words, but he said that you were resting. It's going to be on your own terms when you wake up." I was just so tired. "I wish you would hurry up, though. I don't think I've ever realized how much work you did when you had those three kids all by yourself. And your brother! You weren't kidding when you talked about his attitude were you? He hadn't done anything bad, but he's certainly got an attitude." That sounded like Jay. "I know that you're sorry for what you said, Tucker. I know." I felt like a weight was lifted from me, like I was slowly being pulled up from the depths of the ocean. "I heard you that day, too. When you told me you loved me, Tuck."

I moaned, wishing that I could find the strength to respond. "I love you too, Tucker. I love you more than you will ever know. I love you and your brother and your niece and your nephews. I want to be a part of this family. I want to be their father, Jay's person to look up to. I want all of you, Tucker. I may have imprinted on you, but I can't live without all of you."

I felt like I was hurdling towards the earth at breakneck speeds. All of the sudden the strength that was required to breathe wasn't anymore. I could inhale with ease, I could move again. Like I was breaking the surface of the water, I sat up. "Tucker!" Seth's arms wrapped tight around my waist, a warm hand cupping my cheek. "Oh God, Tuck, thank you." He held me close to his chest, his hand smoothing my hair and my cheek. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"You saved us all," I managed to get out.

"No; make no mistake, you saved everyone. You got your brother and niece and nephews out of there. You kept them safe, just like you promised your sister you would. You did it, sweetheart. No one else."

"I'm sorry about the things I said." He hushed me and brought me across his lap so that I was sitting sidesaddle. "I was just scared. I didn't know it could be real and then you just... did it. I was afraid that I was going crazy, that I had fallen for someone that wasn't human. Then there was the kids. I mean, it was a _real _fear. I just used it as more of an excuse that it actually was. I know that you would never hurt the babies."

He smiled down at me, tenderness itself glowing in his eyes. "Speaking of babies, there are four people who are _dying_ to see you. They've been sleeping in here for days now. Do you want to see them?" I nodded eagerly. "There's just one things that I can't do when we have all our little minions in this room." I pulled back to look at him. His lips came down on mine with a passion that I couldn't deny. I moaned into his mouth and let him be in charge.

I was home. For the first time since I'd come to La Push, I was truly at home.


	31. Chapter XXX

**Author's Note: Okay, here's your next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXX**

Two weeks since I had woken up. I was able to get up and about now, but I still couldn't hold my children for too long. There was something between Jay and Seth, something that I wasn't going to understand but that I could easily see. The two of them seemed to have some unsaid agreement, but I couldn't figure out what they were agreeing to. I'd given up, though. My family was happy and together. "Good morning," Seth whispered, rolling over on his side to look up at me. He'd started sharing my bed after David left. At first it was because he wanted to be there to keep me from thrashing too much. Now, well now it was something completely different.

"Good morning," I replied. I had to figure out how to tell him what I wanted next. After the way that I had treated him and the things that I had said, it was a fear-inducing task. "Your mom is going to take the kids for the day," I began slowly, licking my lips and sucking my lip into my mouth. He looked a little surprised, but just shrugged. I had planned everything for the day, even going so far as to _ask_ Sue if she could watch the triplets. I didn't like accepting help from anyone, but this was far too important.

"Why don't you," he started, dragging me close, "go start some breakfast for you and me while I take the kids to my mom's and Jay to school?" he suggested. His lips were whispering against the tip of my nose. The action was sweet and...sensual. If someone had told me that I would like being this close to any man, with his sweet morning breath washing over my face, I would have laughed out loud. But I loved it. I wanted to nod and let him get out of the bed, but I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his instead. "No, no," he breathed, pulling back. "We have to get out of bed." I groaned and he laughed. "Go make some coffee. I'll be back before you know it."

I helped Seth get the three monsters in their carseats and in the car. Jay loaded up strollers and toys for them to play with while they were Charlie Swan's house with Sue. I stood on the front porch with my sweater-like robe wrapped around my shoulders, waving goodbye as my family took off down the road. I waited until the dust of the dirt road had settled to turn around and head back to the kitchen.

I wanted a chance to see that wolf again. I wanted to know more, to ask questions. But the problem was that I wasn't sure if Seth would let me. He said that he'd forgiven me. I don't doubt that he had. But I would be weary if someone who had freaked out before came forward and said that they wanted to know everything. So I cooked and made coffee, cleaned up my mess and waited patiently waited for him to get back. "That's a focused face."

I jumped at the sound of his voice, sending coffee grinds over the ground. Seth laughed, full-throated and joyful. "If you think it's so funny, you can clean it up," I teased, handing him the small broom.

"You spilled it!" he shouted, throwing the thing back in my face. "What has you so anxious?" he asked as I was sweeping up the precious coffee from the ground.

"I have something that I want to talk to you about," I said quietly.

"You don't have to say it like I'm going to kill you," he laughed. "We can talk about anything that you want." I looked down at the ground, biting my lip and continuing to sweep. "Come on, Tucker. I sat by your side for almost a week to take care of you. I think I deserve just a little bit of trust here."

"It's not that I don't trust you," I replied slowly. "It's more that I'm afraid of what you will say. Because I wouldn't blame you if you said that you didn't want to or something like that. It would only make sense," I explained. Well, I suppose I rambled. And my nerves didn't stop there. "I said some things that were absolutely horrendous to you, Seth. We haven't really talked about it yet and I don't want to just leave it unresolved. You gave me everything that I needed and then some Seth, but when you asked me for one thing, I couldn't give it to you. I was so wrong, Seth. So beyond wrong that I can't even -"

"Tucker, stop." His large hands closed over my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. "You aren't... I'm not mad at you, Tucker. You were afraid of the things that happened. I wish that I had been able to warn you. If I had thought about it, I would have let you read the book and ask your questions first. If I had been thinking things through, Tuck, that's the way that I would have done it. I can't blame you for being surprised when I phased."

"But you asked me to stay calm and to trust you, and I didn't do that." He didn't say anything and I wasn't expecting him to. He couldn't possibly negate the statement. I hadn't done the things that he'd asked me to do. I felt guilt ridden, pained, like I had betrayed the only person in this world that gave a damn about me. "I'm so sorry, Seth."

"Let's eat some breakfast, shall we?" he suggested, trying with that charming smile to change the subject.

I yanked myself from his grasp. "No! You don't get it, Seth. I've been a bitch, a royal pain in your ass. I was so determined to keep anyone away from me so that I wouldn't get hurt again. I never thought about what would happen if I were to hurt you in the meantime. It wasn't my intention, Seth. I never meant to hurt you and hurting you did more damage to me than I thought possible." He took a shuddering breath. "I want to see you again, Seth. I want to see you as a wolf. I want a chance to react the way that I should have. I want to ask questions, to find out what it's like."

"Sh, sh," he hushed. "I would love for you to see me as a wolf again," he said after I was nestled into the warm spot beneath his chin that seemed to be made for me. "Is that why you asked my mom to watch the kids today?" I nodded against his chest, feeling like a child. I felt so guilty for the way that I had treated him. "Why wouldn't I want you to see me, sweetheart?"

"Because of the things that I said before," I murmured against the fabric of his shirt. "Why aren't you mad at me? It only makes sense."

"There are things that are worth the energy it takes to be mad and there are things that aren't. This is one of those things that isn't worth that energy. People fight. They disagree and argue. But I love you, Tucker. No fight is worth losing you." I licked my lips and let him draw shapes on my back. "Did you want to see this now, later, tomorrow, next week?"

"Now please." He smiled down at me and twined our fingers together to draw me out to the backyard.

"You stay here, okay?" he said, leaving me standing just outside the house. "I'll go phase right over there." He marched into the bushes, but was gone only a moment or two before he was trotting back to me.

The large sandy brown eyes came from the bushes with a smile. Or, as much of a smile as a wolf could manage. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, bright brown eyes giving evidence to his grin. He settled down on the grass a few feet away from me, sitting more like a puppy than the horse sized animal he was. "It's really you in there?" I asked, taking a step closer to him. He didn't move towards me, but his head bobbed in a nod. "So, you understand what I'm saying and everything?" Again, just a nod. I licked my lips again. He whimpered and laid down on his front paws, looking like he was in pain. "Does it hurt when you, uh, when you phase? That _is_ what you called it, right? Phasing." He nodded and then shook his head. "You don't call it phasing?" He growled to himself and rolled over. "You do call it phasing." He yipped. "And it _doesn't_ hurt you?" He yipped again. "You know, I kind of like this." I took another step closer to him and extended a hand.

He brought his wet nose to my palm, the feel sending shivers down my spine. I slid my hand through the warm fur, relishing in the feel of it. "What the hell!"

I spun around at the same time that Seth balked and sat back on his haunches again. "Jay!"


	32. Chapter XXXI

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXI**

My mind raced, my hand still frozen in midair like I was petting Seth. Seth was standing a few paces away from me, a look of fear in his own eyes. Jay's arm wrapped around my waist, in a manner that was very Seth-like, and hauled me behind him. "What the fuck is that thing? Get back," he shouted at Seth.

"Jay, just listen to me. It's not what it seems." In front of me, Seth shook his head rapidly, telling me that I couldn't tell my brother the secret. "Jay, just - - just _listen _to me." I shoved my brother aside and dashed in front of what I now realized was a rather giant wolf. "Jay, it's okay, I promise," I said. I took a step back, Seth muzzle now pressed between my shoulder blades. "He's a nice wolf. Seth told me about him." That was honest enough. I tried my damnedest not to lie to my brother.

"Where's Seth?" he asked, searching around the yard while his hands were itching to pull me back to his side.

"He's, uh, at the shop. He had to go in early to help Nate unload..." I looked behind me to find Seth's eyes glimmering with mirth. "Shut up," I hissed at him. "That's why I'm here. Seth asked me to feed the dog this morning."

"That's not a dog, Tucker, that's a wild animal."

"Yeah, but," I looked up to the sky, the creative side of my brain, which was severely underused, looking for some reason that would make this work, "Seth raised him since he was a pup. He's really used to people."

"You have got to be shitting me," he asked, looking at wolf-Seth. The dog lowered himself to the ground and laid his head just below my hand, like a pet submitting to his mistress.

"Besides, none of this matters. What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded of him then. Seth perked up a little bit and growled in response. Jay took a step back. "He won't hurt you, Seth."

"Is this what pissed you off so much? Is this the reason that you walked out?"

"Um, yeah." Let's just go with that. It would make life much easier to explain. "Seth wanted to make sure that I knew everything about him, you know since we're living here."

"And since you're in love with him."

"Yeah, that too." I rolled my eyes when Seth coughed a laugh beside me. I neatly tried to jam my heel onto his paw. "Seth brought_ him_ out and I freaked. I didn't even give Seth a chance to explain. The, uh, pup here sleeps outside. He's basically just a protector. Seth says that he'll protect any of us that live in the house. So long as - - so long as he has your scent. He won't hurt us, Jay. I promise. Come on."

"I swear on my life if he eats us -"

I couldn't help but giggle. "He won't eat us, Seth. There's a Pack of wolves that live here. The Tribal Elders say that's why La Push is one of the safest places to live. Now come on." Seth sat like a good dog and sniffed at Jay's hand, although I'm sure it was redundant after living with him. It took my brother a few moments, but he finally warmed up to the idea of Seth as a pet. "He's like the dog that we've never had." Jay laughed alongside me. Seth rolled his eyes at our silliness.

"I still don't trust him."

"Yeah, well I'm not going to trust you if you don't tell me what you're doing here," I replied.

"Shit!" he cursed, sprinting back into the house.

"Stop cussing!" I shouted after him. I gave a look to a bemused Seth before marching into the house after my brother. "Jay, what are you doing home? Seth dropped you off at school."

"I know he did. And then I realized that I forgot my gym clothes at the house. Ariana LaHote drove me home to grab them." He was frantically searching through his dirty laundry basket, digging for the La Push High sweats that were lurking in the depths. "Ari is waiting for me in the car. Sorry, I have to go before brunch ends." He dashed towards the front door, his clothes swinging behind him. "Oh, and for the record, I still don't trust the wolf."

I watched from the windows in the front room until Ariana's car disappeared down the drive. When I could no longer see back tires, I sank against the cushioning of the couch. "That was some quick thinking," Seth said, trotting in from the backyard to sit beside me.

"That was too close."

"I'm kind of surprised you were able to think so quickly," he replied.

"You're faith in me is staggering." He laughed. "You know, there's breakfast on the table."

"Do you have anything else you want to know?"

"What?"

"About wolves, Tuck. You had questions, remember?"

I took Seth's hand and led him into the kitchen. I popped myself on the counter and munched on an apple, asking my questions between bites. I found out about the phase, what it felt like when the blood heated in his veins. "I'm the happiest of all the wolves, by the way. I know that you were worried about me losing control, but -"

"- Seth I'm not scared of that."

"- of everyone, I'm actually the one who has the hardest time phasing. It got easier after my dad, but before then, I just wasn't angry enough." He told me about his father, about the redheaded vampire that had startled him and given him a heart attack. He told me about his sister, her story, Sam and Emily and the heartache that they'd caused Leah. He told me about his mother, about the changes that she'd gone through. He told me about the imprints, how everyone but him and two of the others had imprints and families. "I'm hoping that I can say that I have a family now."

"Seth," I sighed. He balked immediately, like he had been burned. "Just let me finish, okay?" I said, placing my hand on his arm to keep him from bolting. "I want us to be a family. I want you to feel like you're a part of our lives. What I _don't_ want is for you to feel like you _have_ to do this, Seth. I'm..." I licked my suddenly dry lips. "I've got a lot of baggage, Seth. It's not just me. It's me and four kids."

"Did you miss the part of the conversation where I said that I want a family?"

"They're not yours, Seth. That's my concern. People are going to think and say things. And I don't want that to reflect poorly on you," I explained.

He snuggled me into his chest. "They're not David's kids," he muttered. "I would _love _to claim them as mine, Tucker. I want kids and a family. I don't feel like I got _stuck_ with you or with baggage or anything. I feel like I hit the jackpot. I got an imprint, a beautiful, sweet, loving imprint with a heart of gold and the bravery of a warrior. I got a beautiful daughter that is going to have me threatening every person with a male appendage that walks through this door. I have three meddlesome sons that are probably going to make both of us prematurely grey." I smiled up at him. "We have plenty of room to build on, Tucker. Right now, Jay has a bedroom, the kids have a nursery _and_ a bedroom, and I get to lay down every night next to a girl that I love more than life itself." I smiled up at him.

I didn't do much work that day. In fact, I felt like a horny teenager. I spent the morning making out with my boyfriend and the afternoon arguing over how much food to make. When Sue and Charlie arrived, with Jay in tow, Seth took all three of the little ones outside. Jay, of course, insisted on checking the backyard for the wolf first, but ultimately joined them outside as well. I stood over the kitchen sink with Sue, watching out the big window as Seth tossed Wesley up in a fit of giggles. "We're all really glad that you're back, sweetheart," Sue said after a few moments. Charlie took a beer and walked outside, settling himself in a wicker chair to watch. "Seth was pretty torn up," she continued.

"I never meant to hurt him," I replied, watching him blow against Lacey's belly. The little girl's legs pumped wildly, smacking Seth right in the eye on more than one occasion.

"He's always wanted a big family, you know," she said solicitously. "And when he imprinted on you, some of us were worried about what it mean. He always said that he wanted a big family, but _four_ kids?"  
"I feel like he feels responsible for us all," I admitted. "You know, because he imprinted on me."

"Sweetie, that boy hasn't shut up about _any_ of those kids since the first time that he met you. It's a _good_ day if he doesn't talk about Westyn's smile or Lacey's rolling over or Wesley's sitting up straight. He loves you _all._"

I looked out over the grass, the spring air getting a little chilly. Seth tucked all the kids in his arms, his extra body warmth undoubtedly keeping them all warm. "I think I'm seeing that."


	33. Chapter XXXII

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! If you're interested, I would recommend reading my newest story ****_Pretending_****, which is all about Collin. If you're not, then don't bother. Please be sure to see my profile for updates to timetables. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXII**

In the weeks after the attack, David was arrested on some outstanding warrant that I didn't even know existed. Jim was still roaming the country, but I doubted that he would come back any time soon. Seth had scared him good enough. I was still working as the house manager, but it was kind of pointless now. I wasn't managing the house so much as I was just taking care of my family. That's what we were, I'd decided. We were as much of a family as Leah, Nate, and Luke. Or Ryanne, Jake, and their daughter, Sarah. Seth loved my kids just as much as Paul loved his, or Jake, or Embry, or Sam.

Our lives fell into an easy routine. When Seth came in from patrol every morning, which I learned was his second job, he'd shower and help me get the kids ready for the day. I'd make breakfast for us older people while Seth fed the three little monsters. It was amazing to watch him with the kids. Even with all three of them, he didn't seem flustered, he didn't seem bothered. He just took care of them. After breakfast was finished, Jay would catch his ride with Ariana LaHote and head to school.

Seth, as sweet and amazing as he was, was still only human. When breakfast was over, he'd kiss the top of each child's head, give me a polite peck, and tromp up the stairs and fall into bed for a few hours. Now that I knew his _pack_ members, I was okay, though. Ryanne, Kim, Penn, Charlotte, Leah, and I took turns hosting the wonderful mornings. Emily stayed at the garage with Sam most of the day. She and Ryanne handled the books. "The difference is," Ryanne had said, "that I trust Jake to bring me home the books every night."

I liked the girls, most specifically Leah, Penn, and Ryanne. The three of them had personalities similar to mine. Each of us took a day of the week to host the girls at the house. On Saturdays, we all got together at once house or another for a weekend barbecue. That was where I found myself Friday, frantically running around to make sure the house was ready for the barbecue. "We used to bonfires," Seth was saying conversationally. "But everyone started having kids. Somehow open flames and infants didn't seem to mix too well."

It was the very first time that we had hosted one of the barbecues. I had only been to two or three since arriving back at Seth's. After I had finished healing, we'd needed to talk about a few things. Now that life had settled, it seemed like there was nothing that could go wrong. So Seth, in his infinite wisdom, had invited the entire Pack over to the house. Of course, he hadn't asked me about this first. So now, Friday evening, I was running around the house to make sure that everything was done. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep trying to run up and down the stairs," he said from his spot on the couch. Lacey was bouncing herself in one of her activity seats. The boys, all four of them, were sitting on the couch with their eyes riveted on a football game.

"You should have told me that everyone was coming over earlier. Then I wouldn't have to be cleaning like this the night before," I retorted.

"The house is already clean, Tucker. You're overreacting just the tiniest bit here," he said. He had learned long ago not to tell me that I was _completely_ overreacting. It was one of those phrases that just pissed me off.

"I'm reacting just the right amount," I muttered as I marched up the staircase with the vacuum. "It's not like I'm getting any help here!" I called down the stairs. I was met with a couple of grunts from the older boys and a giggle from one of the young ones. "We don't even know what we're going to make."

"You're from Maine. Make seafood. We only ever eat beef anyways."

"I was talking to myself!" I snapped at him. He just laughed at me. I couldn't understand how boys just didn't understand why I wanted to have the house clean! Especially Seth; it was his friends that we were trying to impress. I didn't care what they thought about me. But Seth was giving up so much to be with me and my family. His friends needed to know exactly how much I wanted him, how well I would take care of him.

So I worked myself to the bone. I made sure that there were no chips in any of the paints, that the bathrooms were all clean and smelled fresh, that the floors were mopped, swept, or vacuumed according to their requirements. Seth single-handedly wrestled the younger children into their beds, though when I passed by the bedroom door, I could still hear him singing to them. Jay muttered a goodnight to me when I was scrubbing at the kitchen floor, although I could hear laughter behind his voice. I needed this to go well, to go perfectly. "You're going to be too tired to move tomorrow," Seth said, sinking down to his knees beside me and grabbing the sponge from my hands.

"I'm not going to be that tired," I retorted. "As soon as this floor is clean, I'll go to bed."

"Tucker, the floor _is_ clean. It practically squeaks it's so clean. Come on, go to bed." He grabbed hold of my arm and gently tried to pull me upright. "Come on."

"No; it's not clean yet."

"This is not about the floor, Tucker. What is your issue?" he demanded.

"What if they don't like me?"

"Tucker, everyone has already met you. Everyone already loves you," he said, his hands softening their hold so that they were caressing instead of holding.

"But I've never hosted everyone at our house." He hummed in response. "What?" He looked down at me with questioning eyes. "What was that sound?"  
"I like it when you call it our house. Now, what is the big deal with people being in the house? The girls are here every week. The boys stop by whenever they feel like it. There's no reason to try and impress them." He pulled me up to a standing position and pried the rag from my other hand. "Come on."

Without waiting for my permission, he bent down and pulled me up into his arms. He carried me up the stairs and lightly tossed me down on the bed. He leaned over me and kissed me, much like he would before he left for patrol ever night. Tonight, however, he grabbed one of the pillows from beside me as he pulled his lips away from mine. "I'll finish the floor before I go to bed," he murmured.

"You already took care of the kids tonight. At least let me finish the floor in the morning." He eyed me wearily and nodded. Good; then I could wait until he fell asleep and march downstairs to get the floors finished.

"If you come downstairs, you should remember that I am a wolf with super hearing. You'll get it if I catch you trying to clean downstairs." I frowned and pursed my lips together. "Good night, Tucker."

I looked him up and down as he walked away. Or at least, as he started to walk away. There had never been a chance for us to share a bed when I wasn't deathly injured. Since I'd recovered well enough to be left home alone with the kids at night, trusting that I could get out of bed if need be, Seth had taken to patrolling while the rest of us slept. "You, uh," I didn't know how to be flirtatious. That was my sister's area of expertise. _Sam, if you could just help me out a little bit, that would be appreciated,_ I called to the heavens before I opened my mouth. "You could keep a better eye on me if you weren't having to listen for me," I began quietly. "And probably a better night's rest too." His eyes flew to mine as if I had spoken to him in Arabic.

There was a gust of wind before he launched himself from his spot across the room onto the bed. He grabbed hold of my waist in a burst of my giggles and hauled me to his side. "I have been waiting _weeks_ for you to be okay with this again," he complained. I smiled and asked why he hadn't said anything. "Everything changed so fast, Tuck," he'd explained. "You said that you loved me, but I wasn't sure if you were saying it because you thought you were going to die or...or what. So I chose the path of least resistance and figured I'd wait you out."

He loomed over me in a manner I would have found menacing if it was anyone else. "Unfortunately, I'm losing my patience," he whispered in a way that left no doubt in my mind as to what he meant.


	34. Chapter XXXIII

**Author's Note: If you read ****_Chivalry is Dead,_**** there will NOT be a chapter tonight. Enjoy tonight's chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXIII**

Despite the plans that I may have had for our night, Seth had adamantly denied me. Of course, being a girl, my first instinct had been rejection. I feared it the most. Seth was clearly taken with my children, my brother, and to some degree, with me. But the thought crossed my mind that maybe he wasn't nearly as taken with me as I thought. He had admitted it himself: he wanted a family. When I'd voiced my concerns to the wolf-man, he'd kissed me with so much passion, I thought I might just get what I wanted out of the night. "I want more than just sex from you, Tucker. Tonight, _this_ is better than any sex," he'd said. He kissed me again, nipping at my bottom lip lightly.

He'd been right, of course. Wrapped in his arms all night was far more intimate than if we had just had sex. When I opened my eyes to find Seth's beautiful face above me, I may have stopped breathing. His eyes were almond shaped, his dark lashes lying against his chiseled cheekbones. There was something about the man that screamed youth. He looked so young when he was relaxed like this, like he wasn't much older than Jay. My body, however, recognized the fact that he wasn't a kid. There were angles to his face, muscles all over the place, that said that he most certainly was an adult.

"You're staring at me," he muttered, his thick lashes still closed against his cheeks. I blushed and ducked my face. "You don't need to get embarrassed. I'd be staring at you if I had woken up first."

"Slightly creepy, Seth," I muttered, deciding that it was best to make a joke.

"Damn, I was going for lovesick puppy dog." I laughed at that and laid my arm over his chest, feeling the ripple of muscles underneath my fingertips. He beamed at me, clearly happy with his own joke. I noticed the difference in his smile this time. It reached his eyes, lighting up the dark brown depths and crinkling the corners of his eyes. It was different from the smile that I had seen in the beginning. He meant this one.

"Why do you smile all the time?" I asked him, cocking my head to the side.

"Because I'm happy."

"No one is happy all the time, Seth," I retorted. "Why do you smile all the time?" I repeated. His hand chaffed up and down my arm, like comforting me would somehow give him comfort. He tucked his head a little and pressed a kiss to the crown of my head.

"Back before I phased, I was the kid that you thought I was. I had no problems, no worries, no cares. I was always smiling or laughing because life was fun. Then I phased." He looked up at the ceiling, the smile slipping from his face. "My dad sat me down and told me what an honor it was, that I had been chosen as a Warrior to protect my people. There were other descendants of Taha Aki who hadn't been given this privilege. He told me that my tribe and my Pack would need my positivity."

"So you wouldn't let yourself be negative."

He nodded. "I was almost afraid of what would happen if I did. Everyone had their problems back then. We were all still figuring life out, you know? At a time when we were supposed to be having fun and figuring out who we were, we were fighting off vampires and defending our tribe. Back then, there was drama with my sister and Emily and Sam. Jake and Ryanne had their little triangle going on, though I think Bella and Ryanne were the only ones who ever saw it as a triangle. Paul was learning sign language and trying to control his temper. Embry was trying to break down Penn's walls so that she would trust him. Jared was dealing with his family _and_ trying to protect Kim. Everyone was miserably happy; our lives were a series of ups and downs. We spent most of our time waiting for the other foot to drop.

"So I made it easier for everyone. I never really changed myself. I stayed happy and carefree no matter what was going on. I don't always feel it, but for my friends' sakes, I try and keep the facade up. I didn't need them to know how much it all effected me. Then I met you." He smiled down at me like I was a precious gift, not the burden that I always felt like. "Suddenly, I wasn't smiling because I didn't want people to see. I was smiling because I was happy. I have someone to share a life with, Tucker. I have a family to take care of and people who need me. I'm happy with my life."

I opened my mouth to tell him that I loved him when a wolf's howl pierced through the air. I'd heard the howls a few times, but never this one. Seth groaned and sat up. "I'll be back in time for dinner. Don't work yourself to death and make whatever you feel like. I've got to go," he said. He leaned down and kissed me sweetly. "Love you."

I gripped his hand before he could completely pull away, I grabbed his hand. "If something were wrong, you would tell me, right Seth?"

"There's just a vampire. That's all that call means. I'll be back as soon as I'm sure that there's nothing coming onto the lands. It shouldn't take more than an hour," he replied. He gave me another kiss, this one far less brief and infinitely more passionate. "Stay in the house with the kids until I get home." I nodded and watched him walk out the bedroom door. I heard his footfalls heading into the bedroom next to ours. I had no doubt that he was smoothing the babies' hair and making sure that they were safe before heading out.

I rolled over to find the the time barely past seven. With a heavy sigh, I flopped down in the bed. I wanted so desperately to go back to sleep, especially since no one would be here until four. But the second I closed my eyes, I saw Seth fighting a red eyed demon and losing. I wondered if this was how firefighters' wives felt when their men left everyday. He was leaving me. And I had no way of knowing if he was coming back.

Busy hands stopped a mind from wandering, as my mother used to say. I shoved myself out of the bed, angry as all get out at no one in general. I needed to do something, to find a way to take care of my family. So I made breakfast, wonderful banana chocolate chip pancakes and bacon and sausage. I made coffee, a whole pot regardless of the fact that I would be the only one drinking it, and sat down on the counter to drink it. I would have to talk to the girls about this. It seemed almost impossible to be able to sit through all of this.

"Morning," Jay called about twenty minutes later. I had finished about a third of the pot of coffee waiting for someone to wake up. I couldn't very well go to the store without all the kids. "I see you made breakfast." I nodded and drank from the mug again. "Where's Seth? Is he being lazy?"

"No, he, uh, he got called into work," I replied. We ate in silence then, the sawing of our knives against our plates. Finally, one of the babes upstairs cried and gave me a reason to move again. It took me no time at all to get all three of the babes fed, dressed, and prepared for the day. "Jay, do you want to go with us? We're making New England barbecue today."

"What's wrong, Tucker?" he asked me.

"Nothing that you can help me with," I admitted. "Seth's neighborhood watch job is always a little nerve racking for me."

"We moved here because it's the safest place in the country, Tucker. You're acting like a love sick teenager," he laughed. "And no, I would rather not go with you. I would enjoy some time to myself."

I was marching out the door with the triple stroller, walking being my main concern. I barely made it off the driveway when a wolf jumped out in front of me. I yelped in shock, sending Lacey into tears. "You don't listen to a word I say, do you?" I turned to find Seth striding towards me. "I even tried to ask you politely, Tucker." He didn't take me into his arms and tell me that everything was okay. He grabbed hold of Lacey, plucking her from her stroller spot and crooning to her.

The little girl turned her brightest smile on the man, melting away some of his anger. "Set!" she squealed. I couldn't help but smile at him then as Lacey's first words left her mouth. "Set!"


	35. Chapter XXXIV

**Author's Note: Okay guys, here's the newest rule. If I haven't updated in a few days (and I haven't said anything in a previous author's note) please see my profile. I have a section titled Important Announcements that will say something about what days I won't be updating and what's going on (if you're at all curious). Also, you can check my website that's listed on my profile. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXIV:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

I hated leaving her worried, but Quil had called for help. I kissed her quickly and begged her to stay in the house. In the grand scheme of things, having Tucker in our house wasn't _really_ going to keep her safe. Any vampire that wanted to get into the house could do so easily. But it was the principle of the matter, the idea that I knew exactly where she was should I need to go get her. _Welcome to the life of an imprinted wolf,_ Quil said. _You're just lucky your imprint is old to understand when you as her to stay somewhere. Let me tell you, it wasn't always easy._ I growled a laugh at him. _I've got a live one over here. _

I sprinted to the location that Quil was able to show me, almost running into the vampire as I came up behind him. His skin glinted in the sunlight as we chased him into the glen. _Hey, sorry, I was distracted,_ Collin called out. I saw flashes of a girl that I thought I might recognize, but couldn't place a name to the face. _Don't worry about it. I'll explain later. What do we got?_ Quil flashed an image of the vampire and the glen, the body of the little pale-face girl that he found the monster feeding on. _That's it, he's dead._

Collin never took kindly to the nomads that fed on people, but when it was children, there was something that snapped in him. He spoiled all of his nieces and nephews rotten, even the older ones. Whenever he was around, he tried to make it so that the little ones didn't have to do chores or any work of any kind. We all knew why, though Collin had never actually told anyone. He was still open and fun, always willing to be around us guys uninhibitedly. But underneath it all, we all knew that Collin was holding back from us. Unless it was Brady; he was always honest with Brady. The only other time that we heard something from him was when he was asleep. Collin had a habit of sleeping in his wolf form, but it allowed the rest of us the rare glimpse inside of his head.

Quil and I ran up on the leech from either side, giving him no where to go but forward. Collin sprinted up from behind. He sank his teeth into the monster's shoulder. Quil and I listened to his scream with a sense of pride, both of us remembering when Collin was little more than a pup. "You don't want to kill me," he promised. "My brother will come after you and you will regret it." I heard nothing of importance. I nodded to Collin, who sank his teeth into the neck now and ripped the head from the rest of the parasite. He growled in distaste when the creature's scream finally ended.

_We should get back to our families,_ I told Collin, meaning to leave Quil on patrol, but Collin had already taken off around the borders. Whatever was eating him was eating him good. _I guess we should just leave him alone, _I said, more to myself, but using Quil as the excuse to talk to myself.

_Or you should follow me. Your imprint is walking out of your house,_ Collin said. I growled, even knowing that the threat was neutralized didn't make it better. The leech that we had killed had talked of a brother. God only knows if he was in these parts. He could kill my imprint, rip her to pieces. Not to mention the kids. All three of them together wouldn't even be a snack for a truly hungry parasite.

_Stop her. I'll be right there. _I dressed as quickly as I could and sprinted to where Collin would have to meet Tucker. I heard her startled yelp pierce the air, her fear spiking the wind like the most potent alcohol. "You don't listen to a word I say, do you?" She spun around, her face showing the acutest sense of relief. "I even tried to ask you politely, Tucker." Lacey's wailing grew incessant, prompting me to ignore my imprint and grab the little monster. She calmed almost instantly, but it didn't stop me from holding her tight to my chest. I gently traced her arms and legs, making sure that she didn't have any injuries. When she was successfully distracted from her previous scare, she turned to me with a bright smile and reached up to me.

"Set!" she squealed with delight. My heart stopped beating as I realized what all she was saying, or attempting to say. A smile bloomed over Tucker's face as she understood the little girl as well. "Set!" she repeated. I cradled her close to my face, pressing my lips against her soft cheek.

"That's right, Lacey baby," I replied to her. "Seth."

"Set." I was still angry at Tucker for leaving the house, for leaving the place that I would best be able to protect her, Lacey repeating my name again and again made it difficult to stay so.

"Where are you guys headed?" I asked her then. She seemed to smile a little and the tension seemed to drain out of her. She relaxed, her hands falling slack against the handles of the stroller. "I don't think we need to thing, do you?" I asked her then. She looked at me in confusion before I reached down and grabbed the twin chest/backpack that would hold two of them before setting Lacey back. I pulled into the thing, wondering if it was going to fit me at all. "Why don't you put Wesley and Lacey in here? Westyn can walk around a bit."

She did as I asked, but had yet to say anything. I trotted the stroller back to the house, listening to Lacey and Wes's bouncy laughter as they were shifted about. Tucker was stooped at the waist, Westyn's meaty fists wrapped around her fingers as she helped him walk. "I was just going to the store to buy stuff for the barbecue," she said sheepishly. "And in all honesty, I forgot that you didn't want me to leave. I was just trying to keep myself occupied." I saw the chagrin flash on her face, the worry that I would be truly upset with her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and under Westyn's butt to support him and drew the both of them into my side.

"Did you decide what you wanted to make?" I asked her. She looked up at me in surprise, clearly thinking that we were just moving forward. I kissed the top of her head and then Westyn's cheek. "Sometimes our brains get a little jumbled when we get nervous. I get it," I whispered to her. "Now, what were you think of getting for dinner?"

She rattled off some seafood things and then added in steak for good measure. I smiled and laughed at her, knowing that if it was just our family we would be eating only fish. "Hw are we going to get all this stuff back while carrying the kids?" she asked as we neared the store.

"I'll carry the stuff. Don't worry about it." I led the way through the store, entertaining all three monsters while she haggard with one of the men that she was buying fish from. We walked through the store hand and hand as often as two people with three young children could. I steered the basket with one hand and watched Tucker and Westyn while we walked. It didn't take us more than an hour to get through the store, which was impressive considering our baggage. We were somewhere down the soda aisle, staring at the sales, when Tucker grabbed hold of my hand.

I lifted my eyes from Wesley's giggling countenance to meet her with a happy, giddy smile. "I love you," she said suddenly. I couldn't help but grab her about the waist and bring her to my side. I wished that I could slide us chest to chest and hold her close as I had all night, but the damn baby carrier made that impossible. Still, getting to hold her to me was enough. "I'm sorry about all the doubts and all the things that I've said."

"I love you, too, Tucker Mills," I replied. I tiled her chin up, feeling huge and bulky with the kids strapped to me. I still managed to to get her to look up at me enough to brush my lips across her mouth. Of course, the fiery little redhead in my arms wasn't satisfied with just a brief caress. She slid her pale hand behind my neck and squeezed gently before tugging me down to meet her mouth. She kissed me hungrily, devouring my mouth with her own in a way that I had longed to do. "We're going to be late to our own barbecue," I said, hoping that the statement would flame the hostess in her.

Instead, she ducked her head, a pink blush stealing over her cheeks. She stepped away from me and grabbed the basket handle from my grip. "Worth it," she muttered as she marched towards the check out.


	36. Chapter XXXV

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the net chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXV**

Seth and Jay kept the kids occupied in the backyard while I worked in the kitchen and on the grill, making sure that everything was perfect for the time that people would arrive. A heavy knock sounded on the door not ten minutes after I was ready, but no one waited for us to come to the door. I rather liked that the Pack members felt welcome in my home. Ryanne and Jake, being the first to arrive, shoved the door aside. "Hey guys, we're here!" Ryanne called into the house. "Where's your Auntie Tuck, Sarah?" she asked her daughter. Auntie Tuck; it was the role that I had always expected to play.

"I'm in the kitchen. Seth and the kids are outside," I called to her. I heard a muttered conversation and then Jake swooping down to pick up his daughter. "Hello you two," I said as he came through the kitchen. Jake crooned to the little girl, who giggled at her father. Jake swooped in and laid a chaste kiss to my cheek before heading out back. I heard Seth call to him when the glass door slid open and smiled. I liked this, this feeling of family and brotherhood.

"Whatever you're cooking smells delicious," Ryanne proclaimed, leaning over the bacon that I was cooking. "Eew, not that," she said, looking at the muscles set off to the side. "Looks like this little one isn't the biggest fan of clams." She patted her stomach, which was still flat, and smiled.

"Does Jake know?" I asked her.

"I told him this morning," she admitted. "He wants another little girl. I'm excited for a boy." I smiled at her. "Do you - - would you mind if I asked you a personal question?" she asked.

"No, not at all." The girls knew very little about my past and how I ended up in La Push. In truth, they only knew that I came here after my sister's boyfriend said that he would come after me and the kids and that my sister had died. They didn't know about my father and the fear that drove me forward.

"How do you handle four kids?" she asked. She popped herself up on the counter, feeling completely at home in my house.

I laughed at that, feeling like we were back on solid ground again. "Well, Jay hardly counts as a kid. He's like my little parent in training," I replied, still giggling and beginning to pull the bacon off the griddle. "And the three little monsters are so taken with Seth that it makes it easier. He can get the three of them to calm down without any problem."

"Jake's the same with Sarah. It's like those boys have our kids wrapped tighter than they have us," she said.

"Why did you name here Sarah?" I asked, looking out over the backyard where Jake had a one-year-old toddler happily sitting on his shoulders. She looked just like him, except for having Ryanne's ice blue eyes.

"It was Jake's mother's name. She died in a car accident when we were young," she said without hesitation. "When we had a girl, I knew that I wanted to call her Sarah. She was kind of like a mother to me, too. Losing her was really what brought us together," she explained. "And your three?"

"I couldn't tell you. My sister knew what she wanted to name them the moment she found out that she was pregnant with triplets," I replied, wishing that we could have avoided the subject.

"What are we talking about?" Leah asked, having walked into the door. Nate took himself out to the back, bent at the waist to help Lucas walk.

"Baby names," Ryanne replied.

"You too," Leah exclaimed. "We have to all be on some birthing cycle." I raised my brows in question "Penn just found out that she's pregnant. I think Charlie said that she's done for another year or two."

"We hang out together too often," Ryanne decided. "Not that you and Nate get to count. You guys have always planned on having your own little pack of monsters."

"How many do you guys want?" I asked with a laugh.

"At least four more," Leah replied. "We had Luke first, and we're glad that we did. But Nate always at least five, one to honor his dad and the rest for the men he lost in the Middle East," she explained.

"I didn't know he was ever over there," I commented. Leah nodded and explained Nate's history, how he had been held captive and tortured for information that he didn't have. He'd lost four men over there and has always dreamed about getting to honor them. "Five is a lot," I replied.

"Says the girl with four. Once you and Seth get going, you'll have us all beat," Leah laughed.

"I don't think we have to worry about that anytime soon," I muttered, more to myself than to the girls. I was ready for Seth and I to officially have sex. I was ready for the two of us to actually be intimate.

"I don't think that this is a conversation that I want to hear about," a female voice said. Ariana LaHote came trucking in with her boyfriend, Zach, behind her. She held hands with the boy who was probably tall in comparison to most, but with all the wolves and men out back, each well over six-foot, he just looked small. Her other hand was wrapped around little Nina's hand, the little boy PJ trailing behind them. "I think we'll just head out back."

"One day, you are going to have to teach me how you do that," Paul said, stomping his feet behind PJ and swinging the little boy up onto his shoulders.

"I don't even what to know what he said," Charlie said. I knew that she was deaf, but there were very few times that I noticed it. Only when I asked her something when her back was turned and she didn't respond. But that was more my stupidity than anything else. We all laughed at Charlie's comment.

Penn stepped into the room then as well, little Lizzie clasping on to her mother's hand with a death grip. "Lizzie, why don't you and Daddy go outside? Look, all the other kids are playing out there," she said, stooping to life the little girl onto her hip.

"The baby!" the little girl screeched, wiggling to be let down. Penn did as she wanted. Her daughter patted her mom's belly and jumped up to place a kiss on it. "Sorry, baby," she whispered before rushing outside. Embry's guffaw echoed behind us as he looked after his daughter.

"I blame you," Penn said, turning to jab her husband in the chest. "You're the one who told her she would have to be careful so that she didn't squish her baby brother."

"Technically, I told her that it was her sister," Embry laughed. "Another little princess would be great with me," he added.

"Men outside," Penn announced. "I don't know how we ever put up with you all."

"Who doesn't put up with us?" Jared asked. Kim blushed red, like she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. Emily put a hand to his shoulder and lightly shoved him outside. Sam kissed her cheek and walked SJ, Sam Jr., outside. Penn just pointed her finger at him as well. "Well, I can see when I'm not wanted," he said. He brushed a cheek down on Kim's cheek and took their infant daughters from her arms. "We'll be outside."

"Jared, be careful with the sun," she called after him.

"I know, sweetie," he laughed, using his toe to nudge the door open. Jay jogged forward to open it for him.

"And if they get hungry, Jared, don't -" The door closed unceremoniously behind him, cutting Kim off. "Maybe I should go out there," she said.

Emily placed a hand on Kim's should and pushed her into a barstool. "You will stay right here, new mama," she said. "The guys can handle the girls for a few moments. Besides, Seth has plenty of experience with multiples." The oldest girl of the group turned to wink at me. I laughed and nodded, more to myself than to them. It was true. "Katie and Amy will be fine."

Kim sighed heavily and sat down in the chair, finally relaxing. "Is that everyone?" I asked, thinking that my house was full of more people than I could fathom.

"Quil, Collin, and Brady," Ryanne said. "Quil's going to be late. He's driving in from the Makah Rez with Claire. Brady should be here soon and Collin's bringing someone new."

"What about Hannah?" I asked. I had met the girl only once, but had little to say about her. She wasn't unkind, but struck me as one of those who would change her personality the second things weren't going her way.

"Turns out he's finally imprinted," Ryanne said with a smile. "I was beginning to think they'd be the only two." As if we had called their names, Brady and Collin stepped forward. Collin's hand was wrapped tight around a petite girl's hand. She looked to be little more than skin and bones, her dark eyes guarded. "Boys are being banished to the backyard with the kids."

The girl's hand tightened around Collin's as she tried to shrink herself into his side. "It's okay, Spence. I'll stay in here," he promised. The girls all looked to me, hoping that I would kick the sudden surge of testosterone outside. But I remembered all too well what it felt like to meet the Pack for the first time. I doubted that the girl even knew what she was dealing with. So I shrugged and turned my attention to the food on the stove.

"Dinner's almost ready," I said after a few moments of quiet chatter. I couldn't help but think how much I liked this. I liked having everyone at my house, having a family again.


	37. Chapter XXXVI

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXVI**

The new girl, Spencer Kale was her name, sat by Collin's side without moving. She pressed herself into his ribcage, wrapping her hands tight about his arm. He would whisper to her every once in a while, but mostly, he just kept his arm wrapped around her. The guys were sprawled all over my backyard, young children everywhere. Seth settled the boys on his lap, keeping their mouths full of bread and small chunks of food while he ate too. I was struck, not for the first and definitely not for the last, at how perfect this all was.

Seth didn't treat the other kids poorly, but you could tell that he loved his three with a special devotion that didn't exist between him and the others. I thought back to Leah and Ryanne's talk about having kids, about what it would be like when Seth and I got around to having kids. I doubted that he would ever treat my kids differently. No, he would always see them as _his_ kids. I watched him have a conversation with Wesley, responding to the baby's babbling. _I hope you can see what you've done up there, Sammy, _I muttered to my sister._ Because I'd like to think that we're doing okay down here._

The wind blew through the backyard, warm and soft against my face. Lacey giggled and laughed, the silly little girl that she is. I closed my eyes and let the breeze warm my skin for a few moments. Then someone clapped, scaring the crap out of me. Ryanne and Leah stood up, depositing their children into their husbands' laps. "Girls, let's get going." Spencer stiffened, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her hold on her wolf. "Have fun, guys."

"Where are you going?" Embry called out. Brady, holding three kids in his lap looked up startled as well.

"While you guys go to work, we all have the kids every day. So, we im- - girls," Ryanne said, meeting the eyes of Ariana and her boyfriend, "are making a new tradition. We're going to go out and get out nails done once a month. You guys can do the dishes and watch the kids. Have fun."

With his arms locked tight around the boys, Seth reached his hands up and made a _come here_ motion. I lowered Lacey to him. He took her and settled her on his lap, between the boys. He rested one hand on her pudgy belly and locked the other around my wrist. I leaned over, like he was silently asking. His mouth took hold of mine, despite the kids that were between us. "Go have fun with the girls. I'll take care of stuff here," he promised. "Make sure that they don't burn the house down and stuff like that."

"Stuff like that," I repeated. I kissed him again and pulled all the way away. "Don't let the kids stay up too later. Jay has school tomorrow."

"I know, babe. I got it. Go out and have a break. You guys deserve it," he whispered. I shortly figured out why he was whispering though. The other men that were on the patio were griping and complaining, begging for the women to stay. And Seth, going against the rest of his back, was in support of us going out. "Love you," he called as I marched towards the door.

Ariana and Zach elected to avoid the children and men and women by taking a walk on the beach... With Brady, who hadn't brought his girlfriend with him, trailing behind them as a chaperon. He was a year or so older than Ariana, hardly considered an elder. But he knew the rules well enough to know better than to let Zach try anything with Ariana. The poor girl probably hated her life at the moment. And Spencer, being so new to us and terrified of something that none of us knew about, stayed behind.

Which meant that the only girls going out together were imprints. I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked out the door. Kim looked over her shoulder as we headed down the porch steps, her eyes full of worry. "Ryanne, that's a lot of kids for the boys to handle," she said, biting her lip as she thought about leaving her babies behind. "They're only two months old," she reminded us.

"Kim, let go of the girls!" Ryanne said, giving her friend a little shake. "Jake, Paul, Embry, Sam, _and_ Seth all have kids. All of them know how to take care of children. Your girls will be fine. Now come on." I couldn't help but laugh at the high schoolness of it all. These girls really had known each other forever. Ryanne pushed the girl into the car, laughing when Kim tried to turn back around and get to the house.

Before I really knew what they were about, I was in a car, pulling out the driveway and on the interstate heading towards the city. "Where are we going?" I asked with a laugh as Leah practically bounced with excitement. But no one answered me. No, they all talked about everything and anything. "Hello? Where are we going?"

"We're heading into the city for a lovely evening of haircuts, color, and nail polish. Leah made our appointments yesterday," Emily explained. Stuck in the car with the two of them was barely less than tense, but they made it work somehow. "All of us could use a little break from the world."

I fingered my hair nervously, hoping that Leah had made plans for me to color my hair. I had always kept it natural, though the color burned like fire. "Emily and I are the only ones who are coloring our hair," Leah added. "Don't worry about it, Tucker. None of the others dye their hair. I only put highlights in mine. She's the one who goes crazy," she shoved a thumb in Emily's direction. The girl shrugged like it didn't matter to her and turned her attention to bobbing her head with the music.

We remained silent for the rest of the drive, but it wasn't the tense kind of quiet. Heck, it wasn't even a bad kind of silent. It was three mothers that were exhausted from watching house and kids and needed just a little peace in the moment. I let my head fall to the window of the truck, thinking about all the questions that these girls could give me answers to. Emily was the first imprint, the one who had deal with the wolves the longest. Then there was Ryanne, who had dealt with the wolves the most because of the stuff that happened with her sister. And I had Leah; being a wolf herself, she would be able to help me too, explain to me what it was like from Seth's perspective.

And when my brain wasn't filled with questions, I was enjoying the quiet. Before I knew it, we were in the city, driving through well lit streets and tower-walled roads. We came to a stop a few streets in, the luxurious hair salon gleamed in the descending light. "How did you get this place to agree to this?" I asked. "It's got to be almost eight."

"Wouldn't you stay open a little later for a group of girls? I mean, we are giving them more money per person than they make in a day," Leah said. "They just opened," she explained. I nodded and held the door open for Emily to slip out. When all of us girls were sitting in the pedicure chairs, the girls scrubbing at our feet, me sandwiched between Penn and Ryanne, two of the girls I got along with the best.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" I asked, looking down at the girls. Ryanne furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. She nodded though. "How do you guys deal with it? You know, when they leave."

"To go on patrol or when there's an actual emergency?" Kim clarified.

"Quil, uh, called the other day and asked for help. Like a real emergency, you know? So I was just wondering how you guys deal with it, you know." The pedicurists gave us interesting looks, but didn't say anything. I figured that they'd heard their fair share of random stuff. So they said nothing and continued with their work.

"Ryanne once told me that you just have to trust that they'll know when to call for help and when to back away," Kim said. Ryanne smiled at her and patted my leg.

"Seth has been doing this forever," she said. "Since he was like fifteen. He knows what he's doing. Sam _and_ Jake trained him. He's good at what he does," Ryanne promised. "Besides, when something big happens, we'll all get together. That's what we do as a Pah- - as a support system." I smiled and looked down at the jade green polish getting painted on my toes.

"Or you can just tell him the same thing that I do," Penn said. "If he dies while he's working, I'll bring him back from the dead and kill him myself."


	38. Chapter XXXVII

**Author's Note: Drama to come. Just some filler fluff. Sorry that there was no chapter tonight. No chapter for ****_Chains Around her Heart_****. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXVII**

I opened the door as quietly as I could, hoping that the noise wouldn't wake anyone up. "Hey sweetie," Seth called softly, standing fro the couch. He clicked the television off, whatever game that was on disappearing instantly. "Did you have a good time with the girls?" he asked. I nodded, dropping my purse onto the little bench beside the front door. "The kids are all asleep," he said, fitting his hands to my waist. He tugged and shoved until I was turned with my back to him. With his chest pressed firmly against my back, his fingers tripped over the buttons of my coat. His face dropped down to mine, our cheeks mashed against each other.

Before I knew what he was about, he had my jacket pulled from my shoulders and me spun around to face him. His fingers brushed along my jawline. My eyes slid closed with the comfort of the touch. His warm breath caressing my skin was my only warning before his lips found mine. I kissed him softly, but his mouth moved solid against mine, firm; like he had decided that he wasn't going to give me up for anything in this world.

Suddenly he pulled back, his mouth leaving mine with an audible pop. "I hadn't been planning on that when I came up here," he laughed. "I was just going to be a gentleman and help you out of your coat." His fingers stroked my jaw again. "That was hardly gentlemanly."

"I didn't mind," I promised him.

"Hardly the correct response in a house full of children," he muttered. "I hope you had fun with them."

"I did," I promised.

"Good; it's a good thing that it'll only be once a month. I don't know if I could handle more than that," he whispered. He slid one arm about my waist and hauled me forward, taking me towards the staircase.

"Oh, yeah?" I laughed. "Did you enjoy trying to get the kids to bed by yourself?" I couldn't help but laugh. I hadn't had to put the kids to bed by myself in forever. Seth always helped me take care of them. On the rare nights that he had to leave for patrol before we were in bed, he always complained about not being able to put the kids to bed. He was born to be a father if any man ever way.

"You know that they were just fine. I did miss you, though. Bed's kind of cold," he replied, using the arm that was wrapped around me to lift me up a few stairs.

"The bed can't be cold with _you_ laying in it. Doesn't your temperature run at like 110?" I giggled. I was hanging loosely in his grasp as he carried me up the stairs with one arm tight around my middle. I had the brief hope that his affection meant that we were going to get a little father than making out in his bed. As great and intimate as that had been, I wanted more from Seth. I wanted more from our love. I wanted everything that was supposed to come with true love.

"Okay, I missed you," he said. "No other excuses. I missed having my imprint with me and our family."

"The girls said that it's difficult for the wolves, sometimes. You guys have a hard time when we're not right there," I said, cocking my head to the side and looking at him quizzically.

"It's not easy, no," he chuckled. "Especially when you go to Seattle. There was a killing spree there a few years back. Turned out it was some crazy bitch making a whole punch of newborn vampires. It's stupid, especially since we know that nothing like that will happen again without our notice, but I worry. We _all_ worry when you girls go off to the city. You smell like us, at least in some capacity, and we worry that you guys will be targets. It's happened once before, although not for that reason."

He prodded me along, pressing me into our bedroom. "I don't understand."

"Charlie was taken. Her parents hired someone to get her to move back in with them. He figured out who she was because of the imprint, because Charlie smelled like Paul. That's all I was talking about." His fingers played with the hem of my shirt before pulling it over my head. The cool air hit my body, puckering my skin and sending goosebumps up my spine. He pulled another of his oversized shirts over my head, replacing the one that I had lost. "I'll leave you to take your pants off. God knows I won't be able to control myself if I do it." I snuck off into the bathroom to take off my jeans and put on my sleeping shorts. No matter how much I loved him the idea of taking off my clothes in front of him made me blush.

No if he were to do it...

"Would it really be so terrible for you to lose control?" I asked him as I sauntered back to our bed. "I mean, unless you don't _want_ to have sex."

"Believing me when I say that wanting to is not the problem." He pulled the blankets on my side of the bed down, inviting me onto the bed. I crossed the room and crawled into bed, positioning myself beside him. I cuddled into his side and slipped my arm around his waist. "I don't want to rush things, Tucker. There's no threat, no reason why we can't fall in love the way that people are supposed to."

"I already love you, Seth. Nothing is going to change that." He sighed heavily and fit his arms around me. We were like two pieces of a puzzle. The way that we fit together, the way that he understood me.

"I know that this is going to seem silly and girly, but I don't want you to be in love with me because of the imprint or because you almost died, Tuck. I want you to love me for the same reasons that I love you," he explained.

"I don't know if they're the _same_, but I know that I have my own reasons for loving you," I promised. He looked at me quizzically. "I don't know if there is another man in all the world who could be like you Seth. I don't love you because of the wolf or the imprint or because you saved me from David. Those things may be things that _showed_ me how much I love you, but they're not the reasons."

"And your reasons would be?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh you're being needy tonight, aren't you?" I laughed at the expression that he pulled. "I love you because you treat me like any other person, not the single mother of four."

"Not so single, I'd like to add."

"Ignoring that," I replied. "I love you because you are teaching my younger brother how to be a good man. You treat the triplets like they're your own. Even when they're exhausting and driving us insane, you seem to have an endless amount of patience. I love that you support me and care for me. It seems that every thought that you have is about how to make things better for my - - for our family." His eyes lit up like a rocket on the fourth of July when I said that it was _our_ family. It might have been the first time that I had acknowledge the family as belonging to both of us. "I love you because you are kind, warm, caring, and just incredible, Seth."

He looked at me like I had given him the secret of life before he pounced. I found myself trapped underneath his body, my arms pinned over my head with my wrists captured in one wrist. His other hand brushed down my face, my neck, over my shoulder and to my waist, where the fabric of his shirt and bunched to expose my skin. "I love you," he whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead, "because you are determined," he kissed my nose, "caring," he found one of my cheeks, "sexy," his mouth brushed my other cheek, "and amazing."

He slanted his lips over mine taking control of the kiss. I molded my mouth to his, arching my back to press my body into his chest. I moaned when his tongue slid lightly across the seam of my mouth, gasping when his heated hand rubbed along the skin of my waist. Before I fully understood what he was doing, my shirt had been removed, leaving my upper body nude. He kissed down my neck and over my collarbone, but never lower.

I fumbled with the drawstring at the waist of his pants, trying to show him what I wanted. He had done away with mine, some time when I wasn't paying attention. I tugged at his pants again, trying to undo the knot.

"Tucker, are you awake?" Jay's voice called. I groaned quietly, as quietly as I could that is.

Seth growled low in his chest as well. "This is why I didn't want to start this yet," he muttered, rolling off of me. "Go on. Go be the big sister."

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Love you."

"I'm sending the kids away next weekend," he promised.

"I'm counting on it."


	39. Chapter XXXVIII

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Chapter XXXVIII**

"What do you need, Jay?" I asked, trying to keep the venom out of my voice.

"There's something weird with the wind," he replied. "I know that I'm acting like a little kid, but I just don't like being downstairs all by myself."

"What'd you hear?" Seth asked, having straightened his shorts and pulled on an undershirt.

"I didn't really hear anything. It was just weird. I thought I kept seeing things and hearing noises and I just worried that the, uh, that the kids might be scared," he said, sinking into his fifteen-year-old boy role again.

"Let's get you set up in the nursery," Seth said. "Tuck go on to bed. I'm going to check on the triplets and then I'll join you," he promised. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He went from boyfriend to dad faster than anyone that I had ever met before. True to his word, he was only gone a moment before he was crawling into bed beside me. "Everyone's fine. Let's get some sleep." I groaned, wishing that we could finish what we started. He pulled me into his side. "I'll call my mom in the morning and see if she can take the kids this weekend."

The week seemed to crawl by. Seth did exactly as he said he would, and made arrangements for the triplets to go to his mother's and for Jay to spend the weekend with Paul LaHote's family on their camping expedition. We were _finally_ going to have the house all to ourselves. And this time, I would be conscious. My anticipation didn't make the week fly by any faster. Instead, by the time Wednesday rolled around, I was practically stomping around like a wounded bull. "It's only two more days, Tucker. You're being ridiculous," Seth laughed as I was bent over shrimp and chicken caesar salads for dinner. "Then we'll have the house to ourselves."

"You guys are getting gross again," Jay called from the dining room where he was supposed to be setting the table. He was probably texting the girl from his chemistry class, although I wouldn't quite remember her name. "It's only two more days of being normal. Can't you guys just do that?" Seth chuckled and kissed my softly, not like he had the other night. He reached around me and grabbed two of the three salads.

"We do the normal parent thing all the time, Jameson," Seth said. I heard the metallic sound of a hit, though I'm sure it was Jay hitting Seth. "We could _not _act normal," Seth suggested. "Would that make you happier?"

"Please don't make me throw up all over dinner," Jay threatened. I laughed as I handed my food to Seth so that I could go grab the babies. Jay had already set his stuff down and was cradling Lacey in his arms. All three of the kids were learning how to walk, but the boys were a little more stubborn about their freedom. Lacey like to be cuddled, liked to have the guys carry her. Pretty soon we were going to have to insist that she walk on her own, but for the moment, it was easier this way.

Wesley and Westyn had their fat fists wrapped around a few of my fingers as they stumbled along to the dining room. "Have they ever had shrimp before?" Seth asked as he stooped down to swing Wesley up into his arms. Westyn was fighting me, his little legs thwacking me every chance that he got. I restrained his legs only long enough to get him into his highchair.

"The pediatrician said that they could start having shellfish when they were six months old, but I was kind of worried about them, so I've been putting it off. They've had trout and salmon and snapper and stuff like that, but I haven't given them shellfish yet," I admitted. "Though they should handle it all fine. You know, being from Maine and all." He laughed at me and kissed my cheek, pulling one of the shrimp that I had laid aside for the kids and ripping it into smaller pieces. He laid them on the trays for the kids. I cut some of the broccoli that I had cooked for them. The three of them immediately started munching.

"How was your day at school, Jay?" Seth asked after a few minutes. "Did you ask Yvonne out on a date?" Yvonne! That was her name. Jay shook his head and shot Seth a look that begged him not to say anything more. "Come on, dude. Just ask her out. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could laugh at me for being a pale face and reject me in front of all her friends," he replied.

"What's a pale face?"

"Did you ever consider the fact that being a pale face might be a good thing?" Seth countered.

"How could it be a good thing? You guys _hate_ pale faces!"

"What is a pale face?"

"Someone who's not native," Seth explained. "And we don't hate pale face. We hate the pale, Cold Ones. Ryanne's a pale face and she's married to the chief of the entire tribe. You're sister's a pale face. Get up the courage and ask her out on a date!"

"Could we _not_ talk about this?" Jay begged. I laughed, watching the color rush to his cheeks.

"We're not talking about it," I promised, still struggling to stifle my chuckles.

The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully. In fact, the rest of the week passed by rather uneventful. Before I knew it, Friday afternoon had come around. Sue came and picked up the kids and all their things just before dinner. Jay had left immediately after school for his camping trip. Before I knew it, Seth and I were completely alone. No kids, no Pack, no howls for Seth to come and help. "It's finally the weekend," he said.

"You were the one who kept trying to downplay the week," I laughed.

"Trying, but never really succeeding." He lifted me into his arms and dropped me onto the countertop. I twined my legs around his waist and dropped my arm over his neck. His lips caught mine then, this kiss more heated than the ones in bed had been. His hands alternated squeezing and caressing my spine. He was pushing me tightly against his chest, wrapping his long, muscular arms about my waist. I found myself unconsciously playing with his hair, sliding my hands from their locked position about his neck to the spiky softness of his hair. He pulled back when I thought I might pass out from lack of oxygen, but his lips never truly left me.

He kissed the line of my jaw, down my neck and onto the skin left exposed by my camisole. He kissed across my collarbone, repeating his loop on the other side of my body. Then he pulled away, abruptly, like he hadn't realized what he'd been doing. "We should get some food into you," he said, but I wouldn't let go of him. "Tucker?"

"I think that I am much too tired to eat anything right now. We should go to bed," I suggested, rustling the hair at the nape of his neck. His eyes darkened in a flash and that smile that I loved so made its appearance. He snaked one arm about my waist and hauled me off the counter. His other arm slid underneath my backside, supporting me as he practically jogged up the stairs with me in his arms. He tossed me lightly onto the bed. Then the awkwardness descended again.

I bit my lower lip, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do from here. Flirting had never been my forte. Sammy had always been the one who could flirt, who could capture any man with a batt of her lashes. I was the one who stayed to the side, the driver when was necessary, and the excuse to leave early. "Why did your mother name you Tucker?" he asked then, pulling off his shoes and settling beside me on the bed.

"My mom named me and Sammy after Samuel W. Tucker," I began. "He was a lawyer, one of the ones that founded the NAACP. My mom grew up in a foster home. Where we lived, there was still racial segregation in a way. The people were just stuck in their ways. Mom watched one of her foster brothers get talked down to when she was in high school. She's just nostalgic."

"And your father was okay with that?"

"Dad thought that Mom was naming us after Samuel Tucker, a captain in the navy. He's said to have been a spy during the Revolutionary War," I continued. "So when Mom had twins, she named one of us Sam and one of us Tucker. Of course, Dad always wanted boys."

His warm hand slid underneath my shirt, the heat of him seeping into my skin. I could feel him burning me from the inside out, melting everything in me. "Could we not talk about your parents, your sister, or the kids?" he asked then. I nodded, but only because my mouth was frozen. "I love you, Tucker."

I couldn't form a rational though. I lifted my mouth to meet his kiss. "You too," I managed to get out. Probably the last coherent thought I had all night.


	40. Chapter XXXIX

**Author's Note: I think we've had enough fluff for a few chapters, don't you? Let me know how you would feel about some more mature scenes. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XXXIX**

"Your mother doesn't need to have the kids all weekend, Seth," I giggled from my spot beneath him. He had my arms pinned over my hand, his cheek resting against mine. "She's had them for two days. It's not going to kill us to pick them up a day early." The day's growth of beard was tickling my neck as he tried to force me into silence. It was only sending me into another fit of laughter, a joy which I hadn't known exploding in my chest. Lying here, pinned underneath him, might just be the happiest days of my life.

"It might kill me," he replied. He collapsed his weight down on me, making me grunt and laugh again. "We are out of food, though."

"Only because a certain someone gets hungry all the damn time." He laughed and leaned down to kiss me. "If said person would let me out of this bed, I could go grocery shopping," I pointed out. He groaned then, seeming unhappy with the idea of letting me out of the bed. After kissing me one more time, though, he let me up and nudged me towards the dresser. "Smart lad," I said.

"Lad?" he laughed. "No one says that anymore.

"You clearly need to go back to Maine. It's the strangest mix of white people that you're ever going to meet." He rolled his eyes now and left me to get dressed. I could hear the springs of the mattress groaning as he flopped around trying to find a comfortable position "Seth, it's almost ten o'clock. Get your lazy butt out of bed." He groaned but I didn't hear the bed moving anymore. "Seth! Come on; we haven't done the dishes in two days. If you want there to be more food in the house, I need dishes to cook them with." I popped out of the bathroom, now fully dressed and flopped down on the bed. Seth was lying on his back with his arms thrown over his head, his eyes closed peacefully. I straddled his waist and leaned down to put my hands on his shoulders. "If you don't do the dishes, you don't eat," I threatened.

He groaned again, this time his hand sliding up my back and holding me still. "I hardly think that's a fair threat," he said. "We both know how much I enjoy your cooking." I kissed him again, wriggling this time to get out of his hold.

"How about this then: if you don't do the dishes, you can say goodbye to kissing me for a week."

"I can think of other things to do besides kissing," he promised. I lightly tapped his cheeks and rose off the bed. "You're not being serious, are you?"

"I never make idle threats, Seth." I smiled at him from over my shoulder and walked down the stairs and to the front door. I grabbed my purse and swung it up on my shoulder. "I'll see you in an hour or so, Seth. I'm going to check on the kids before I go to the store." From upstairs, I heard his shout of laughter. He knew that I couldn't survive the whole weekend without checking in on them. "Fine, I'll be back in_ two_ hours. See you soon."

"Love you!" he called down the stairs. I laughed all the way to the car, noticing that this was more than I had laughed in ages. I got in the car and tossed my purse in the passenger seat, taking one look at the house before pulling out of the driveway and heading towards Sue's.

"They've been easy as lemon cake, Tucker," Sue promised me. "But I can understand you wanting to check in on them after the last few months that you guys have had together." I cradled the boys to my chest and stroked Lacey's downy soft hair with my free hand. "Why don't you take them to the store with you? You can shop here in Forks and bring the kids back with you on your way home. That should give you a little time with them."

"That sounds like a great idea, Sue. Just, uh, let's just not tell Seth about this. He already teases me for not being able to spend a few _hours_ away from the kids," I suggested. She laughed and nodded, but didn't say much else as she helped me load my minions into the back of the car and sent me on my way. Lacey and Wesley were having some animated conversation with each other. Westyn would chirp in every once and a while, like his input was only necessary with certain matters. "I've missed you three," I told them.

I unloaded the monsters and settled them into the seat of the cart and grabbed a second one for Lacey. "What should we making Daddy for dinner?" I asked them. The question stopped me in my tracks, in the middle of the dairy aisle. Daddy. Seth was their dad. He'd always wanted to be; he'd made that perfectly clear. But he'd never pushed me to make the decision or to say that I had to tell the kids that he was their dad.

"Set!" Westyn agreed. Lacey may have bee the first to say it, but it hadn't stopped the other two from picking up on it.

"That's right, little dude," I laughed. "Now, what should we make Daddy for dinner? Hm? He probably thinks that I don't know how to cook a steak, since I never do. Should we make him a steak, Lacey?" I asked her since each of the boys was looking at something else. She babbled at me, so I took it to mean agreement. I grabbed some sour cream, thinking of what I could make for a side dish, and walked the two carts out of the cold aisle.

"What beautiful little ones," a man said behind me. I was bent over the shelves of meat, trying to find the biggest cut for Seth. I turned around, startled to see him standing a few paces away from my children. I frowned and grabbed a random tritip from the stacks and rushed to my carts. "How old are they?" he asked politely.

The funny thing was that if it was a woman asking me about my children, I wouldn't have been concerned at all. I tilted my chin up a little and shoved the kids out of his path. "They're almost a year," I replied curtly. "If you'll excuse me," I added, tossing the meat as lightly as I could and gripping the handle of each cart with one hand. I smiled at him vaguely, hoping not to see rude, but to get away from him.

"My wife and I had been trying for years to have children," he began, coming up alongside me. "She passed away before we could actually have any."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said again, hoping that the proper response would get him to leave me alone. "It's always unfortunate when people die before their time."

"Quite," he agreed. "I suppose that is where my affinity with little ones comes from," he continued as I marched through the produce section. Could the man not take a hint? "I wonder what ours what have looked like. You know, if things had ended differently."

"I completely understand. Sir, if you'll excuse me, my husband is waiting at home for lunch," I said, rushing forward towards the checkout. I didn't have half of the things that I needed, but I could stop by the market on the Rez and grab whatever else we needed. Currently I just needed to get out of this store and away from this man.

"I am sorry to have held you up, Miss. I was just captivated by the three of them. I beg your pardon," he apologized. I smiled at him again and kept walking to the checkout. I couldn't stop looking over my shoulder, though. There was something about him that had me set on edge. He was kind enough, I supposed. There was just something about him that set me on edge. I narrowed my eyes as I checked behind me yet again. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. I sighed, almost in relief, but looked around again. The last thing I needed was another one of David's helpers coming after me.

I checked out with minimal conversation with the lady standing on the other side of the counter. She made silly faces at my kids and had them giggling almost instantly. I continued her work after I'd paid and walked them out to the car. "Miss?" I almost groaned out loud as the man's voice came back to my ears. "You forgot this," he said, holding up the round of asparagus to me.

"Thank you," I muttered. "Now if you'll excuse me." I grabbed for the door handle of the backseat, but his arm shot out and slammed the door shut. His ice cold hand brushed mine for a brief moment before I pulled away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you go home. I'm far too angry and hungry." I glanced up at his eyes, seeing red behind some brown. "Come with me, or you'll regret it."


	41. Chapter XL

**Author's Note: Please see my profile for information about the upcoming weekend. Enjoy the chapter! Love & Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter XL**

"I know what you are," I told the man as he marched me down the stairs. He had _offered_ to help me get the stroller down the stairs, but I was too stubborn and too scared to let him near my kids again. "I know what you want from us. Please, let me take the kids home. I'll make some excuse and get out of the house. You can have me, I swear. But not the kids. Please, not my kids," I muttered. He didn't seem to hear me. He continued down the dark hallway. We weren't in Forks anymore, I could tell that much. I had no idea where we were, but the houses weren't built like the ones that I had looked at in Forks and La Push. The architectural style was different from the simple styles of the forested areas.

"I'm not going to drink you," he said. "Least of all the little ones. Besides the fact that they wouldn't make much of a snack, the things I told you about my wife and I were true. I wouldn't harm such beautiful darlings." If he was trying to make me feel better, he wasn't. In my mind, I could see him keeping my kids, turning them into vampires. "You really don't have to worry about them. Once I get what I want, they can leave with that mouthy thing you call a brother."

"You have my brother?" I shrieked. Westyn roused from his nap and started wailing, unhappy with the commotion. "What did you do with my brother?" I snarled, jamming my foot underneath the stroller to ease it down another step. "Where is he?" How did this monster ever get to Jay? Seth and I had made sure that he was with someone that could protect him.

"It was easy enough. He was walking through the forest, on his way home I believe. Easy pickings," he laughed. "If you could get him to shut up, though, it would be greatly appreciated. Kid keeps screaming, telling me I'll regret it if I take you and the rest of the kids."

"So why are you taking us?" I asked, finally reaching the bottom stair. I circled the stroller and Took Westyn in my arms. Fat cheeks rolled down his cheeks, his face so sad and broken it almost hurt. "What do you want from my family?"

"That husband that you talked about," he turned over his shoulder and smiled at me. "Let's just say that he and I have some things that we need to deal with." I shuddered at the tone he used when talking about Seth. "And I know that he's not your husband. Let's just say it'll be family for a family." His gaze fell down to Wesley and Lacey, who were finally down for their naps after our blindfolded car ride. "Don't you worry, though, it's not just him that I'm after. I have a few of your friends too."

Like a host announcing the prize on a game show, he shoved a door open. Jay was holding a barely nine-year-old Claire Young on his lap, humming to the little girl as he rocked her back and forth. In the other corner of the surprisingly well lit room was Spencer Kale. I had only met her once before and briefly at that. But the fear on her face wasn't the ghost that it had been at my house. She was terrified, huddled into the little edge as if it would somehow protect her. Jay jumped to his feet, Claire still cradled in his arms. I rolled the stroller just inside the room and held one finger up to my lips to tell him to remain silent.

He stuck his toe underneath the front of the stroller and pulled the wagon the rest of the way in. "Spencer, take my boy," I said to her. She seemed to snap out of some daze and moved forward to take the little boy. Westyn looked between me and her for a moment before deciding that she was okay in his book. He curled himself into her chest, letting Spencer support him. She hushed him and brushed a tear or two from his face, rubbing his little back. She sunk back into her corner, speaking quietly to my little boy. "What do you want from us?" I demanded again. "If what you said about your wife is true, then let the rest of them go. They're just kids."

"I want your wolves," he snarled. Jay glared at him, obviously confused. "This will teach them a very valuable lesson."

"How will they even know we're gone?" I asked then. I glanced at both Spencer and Jay, hoping that the former would get my hint to stay silent. "Collin doesn't even know that Spencer is back in town. She's been gone for a few days now. Quil only sees Claire every once in a while, whenever he can. He wouldn't know that she was missing. I was leaving for the rest of the day. Seth won't know where I've gone and he won't know to come after us. You can't keep us all here. They won't know that any of us are gone. If you want them to know, then you should let the kids go. Spencer is barely seventeen. She's still a kid. Jay is still a boy. Claire and the others... Just look at them. You want to punish the boys then fine. But let them go and tell the boys where to find us."

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" he asked me then. I swallowed hard, not knowing what was coming next. "But what makes you think that I don't already have a plan? Maybe I have ways for them to know."

"But you don't. You don't know enough about them to know how to get a message to them," I retorted, jerking my chin up another notch. I reached out with my left arm and waved Spencer over closer to Jay. She took the now sleeping Westyn with her, backing up with my brother. Jay, being the man that he was, put Spencer, Claire, and the stroller behind him, standing in front of it like a solitary guard. I guess it was proof that we were related. I was standing between the vampire and the kids, hoping that I would be enough to keep him for the moment.

"You really do think you know everything, don't you?" He laughed harshly at me. "If I just wanted their families, why would I need you and the other whiny bitch there?" he asked. "I mean, other than for my pleasures." The grin he sent my way was enough to cause me to vomit. I swallowed down the urge, though, and put my hands on my hips. "I need her here for the moment, but when she's worn out her usefulness, I'l find something to do with her." Spencer swallowed audibly behind me. "I need the brat boy here to take care of those children you brought along. But you -" He pointed one frigid finger at me. "I need you for a different purpose all together. So you are coming with me."

He wrapped his frozen hand around my upper arm, dragging me a step away from my children and the people I was now responsible for protecting. I wished that I was stronger, stronger than any vampire. But the strength of a heart doesn't always stop the evil. I struggled against him, but he was able to pull me along like I was nothing more than a sack of grain. "Let go of my sister you bastard!" Jay shouted.

"Jay, stop," I called out. "You stay here. You protect them, Jameson. You hear me? You protect them." I craned my neck to make sure that my little brother heard me. He nodded at me, his eyes filling with tears again. "It's going to be okay. I'm going to fix it." Seth would figure out that we were gone. He would have to. "Jay, look at me," I said as I was being pulled out the door. "It's going to be okay. I'm going to make it okay. Trust me." He nodded again and turned his attention back to his niece and nephews and our friends. The steel door of their room slammed shut behind me. "What do you want from me?" I demanded then.

"You were right about something in there," he said with a laugh. "I don't know enough about these boys. The Volturi hired me because I was good at tracking, but that's not all I'm good at. I'm can find out information, any information that I need to. I know where they are and I know how to find them. What I need to know how is how to kill them."

"Why? What did they do to you?"

"They killed my brother," he said. "The only family that I have left. The Volturi may be a good second, but they're not my brother. It's been Alexander and Demetri since the sixteenth century."

"So what do you want from me?"

He shoved me inside a cold, dark room that smelled faintly of mold. "Information. We'll have you here for a few days and then we'll see how you feel about sharing." There was no light switch, no light bulb, nothing. "Sleep tight," he added, pulling the door closed behind him.


	42. Chapter XLI

**Author's Note: See my profile for updated information. I hope you guys all know how much I appreciate your reading. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLI**

For countless hours, I beat against the door that closed me in the darkness. I wasn't one that was afraid of the dark. In fact, it didn't really bother me. Darkness was comforting. While some people were afraid of it, I liked the dark. It was safe, a place where no one could find you should you need to hide. Darkness was where I preferred to stay until I met Seth. Now I found that same comfort in him, in being wrapped in his arms and kissed until I could hardly breathe. I should have just called him when I suspected that something was up.

I pounded until I couldn't feel my hands anymore. This darkness wasn't the same as what I was used to. I would heard things rustle in the black abyss behind me, but I could never see them. The walls were thin enough that if I listened real close I could hear Jay comforting everyone else in the next room. But I could see nothing. I could do nothing. When I could feel the bruises forming on my fists and knuckles, I sat myself on the cold concrete ground and called out for them. Jay was probably too busy with the kids and Spencer to hear me. That was for the best, I guess. If my brother heard me slowly losing my mind, he might begin to lose his. One of us had to keep our minds straight. One of us had to figure out how we were going to get them out of here.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but I became aware of the fact that I was hungry. More than that, I was getting thirsty. The darkness was no longer comforting. It was painful, a reminder that I couldn't see this monster. I couldn't be sure what he was doing to my kids, to the people that I was responsible for. Spencer was the same age as me, but the fear in her big, innocent eyes told me that I was the older one. I was the more mature one. I had to get them out. I laid down on the ground, resting my hands on my stomach, and breathed deeply, hoping that I could find a way to get them out. If I could just get him to let me out, to take care of the babies for a second. There had to be some way to get a message to Seth or Paul or _one_ of the guys.

My fear for the people in the other room was beginning to get the better of me. I could feel my heart begin to race as I lay there on the ground. The spot that I was lying on had grown warm from my continued resting there. So I got up, feeling the fear welling up in my chest. I paced from wall to wall, measuring ten paces each direction. I wasn't in a large room, that was for certain. There was only so much food in the diaper bag. Unless that monster was buying food for the kids, they were going to go hungry. Jay wouldn't accept food from the man that had kidnapped him and his family. He was too strong, too stubborn.

Too much like me.

Pacing began to hurt my legs. I knew that I couldn't keep it up much longer. I followed around the perimeter of the room, feeling the wall with my hand. With the exception of the door that he'd brought me in through, there wasn't another opening on the stone walls. I found a corner and sank down in it, much like Spencer had been doing when I saw her. I cradled my head in my hands, feeling like I might go crazy with fear and loneliness. But I couldn't let this thing break me. I couldn't let this parasite get the information that he wanted. I didn't know how to kill the wolves. The legends were about how wonderful they were, not about how to kill them. I just couldn't let _him_ know that I knew nothing. The kids and I were valuable as long as we had the information that he wanted us to have. He couldn't hurt them while I knew things. Could he?

I remember closing my eyes, but only vaguely. I must have slept overnight because when I woke up again, I was famished. My stomach rumbled and begged for food. My mouth was dry, like ancient parchment that had been sitting in a museum too long. I had slumped against the wall in my slumber. My entire body felt bruised, sore from sleeping without cushions or warmth. My toes were frigid, like someone had submerged them in ice for some time. I could still feel them, though. I would have to take that as a good sign. I shoved myself up to my feet and racked my brain again.

There had to be a way to communicate with my brother. I had to find a way to tell Seth that the kids were here. I didn't know exactly where _here_ was, but I could find out. I would have to trick the leech into telling me where we were. Just a hint. I hadn't been able to keep track of time when we were driving. I knew the make and model of his car. Hell, I even knew some of the license plate numbers. But I expected that it wouldn't do me much good. I strongly suspected that the car was stolen. In case it would help me, though, I stored the information away. So I repeated what I knew in my head again and again until I started to feel the gnawing desire for food again.

I would never ask him for food, though. I would rather dye before I would ask him for help. I laid myself back on the concrete. The cool temperature woke me for a moment, but my boredom and hunger swirled together eventually resulting in fatigue.

Light flooded into the room, blinding me with it's brightness for just a moment. I squinted, trying to block out the light while my eyes adjusted. "I don't suppose you've had enough yet? I simply abhor bloodshed," Demetri said quietly. I opened my eyes as wide as I could and looked at him curiously. He looked more dangerous now that I knew exactly what I was looking at. His face was pale, like printer paper when you just open it from the package. His eyes were no longer a hazy brown. They were red, like rubies glittering in the darkness. I wanted that light. My greatest desire was to crawl towards the light that was surrounding him.

"How long have I been in here?" I asked then, coughing a little. I hadn't spoken in God knows how long.

"Three days," he smiled. "None of your wolves have come for you, though. I will admit, it's a little disappointing from creatures that are as _legendary_ as they."

"My kids," I hacked. "They need food. There isn't enough food in that diaper bag. Please," I begged. "Please let me take care of them."

He ticked his tongue at me, apparently not happy with my response. "I'll tell you what, you tell me a secret about these wolves, and I'll let you have a minute with your family." My heart fluttered at the though. I could see them. I could protect them.

Or I could let Jay do hat. Jay would be able to protect them all. He'd always been able to do that. While he was doing that, I could protect the men, save their secrets. So, I shook my head, feeling my heart drop like lead in the sand. "I really don't want to hurt you," he replied calmly. "I was never one for methods of physical torture. Psychological warfare, sure. That's all a test of how strong you are mentally, how firm your resistance is. And yours? While I think that yours will crack when you first hear about something happening to your precious family."

"You said that you wanted kids once," I breathed. "Don't hurt mine. Please. They're innocent of all of this. They don't know anything about this."

"Don't worry; I've already had your brother out to the store with me. Clever boy thought that he could drop a note for that wolf of yours, but I picked it up," he replied. My heart leapt. Jay wasn't stupid enough to think that he could actually trick this man with just a note. My brother was smarter than that. He would have had a backup plan. He _always_ had a backup plan. "I let him buy the food since apparently the things I gave him weren't good enough. I honestly think you have been hanging out with wolves too much. All of you have a certain biased."

"We have a certain hatred," I corrected.

"Regardless," he shrugged. "I have no desire to hurt your family. They're merely here for bait. Now that being said, you're the one who has the information that I want. Tell me what I want to know."

"I'll never tell you anything," I promised.

He smiled at me, a grim smile on his lips. "Well, then, I suppose we'll see how you feel about this in a couple of days." My heart leapt and his sneer lengthened. "Enjoy the dark," he added, before pulling the door closed again.


	43. Chapter XLII

******Author's Note: I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry. I had assumed that I was going to have WiFi and time and I had neither of them. Please don't hate me. Here's the next chapter! Love you all, Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

I had thought, at first, that Tucker got caught up talking with my mom. I didn't mind all _that_ much. Tucker had lost everything that she'd had, save her brother and the kids. She needed a family, a group of people that were going to welcome her into their lives and into their hearts. My family wanted that for her. So I didn't mind all that much when she was gone a few hours longer than I thought she was going to be. At least, I didn't mind until I got the phone call.

My mother called and asked if Tucker and I were bringing the kids home or if we had decided to keep them for the rest of the day. My heart sank as if it was made of concrete instead of muscle. I muttered something about letting her know in a little bit and dropped the phone into the sink as I ran out the doors and phased. I headed for Forks, knowing that was where she would have headed if she was wanting to bring the kids back to my mom at the end of the day. My feet ate up the distance between me and Forks, between me and my family.

_Where's the fire?_ Paul's voice asked in my head. I started , surprised to be hearing him.

_What are you doing out here? I thought you all were camping?_

_We went camping and we're done. Jay should be home any moment. He said he was walking home,_ he explained. I nodded, more to myself than for anyone else to see, still focused on getting to Forks.

I stumbled when I came across the scent. It was sticky sweet, like the smell of cough syrup for children. I turned on a dime and ran towards the smell, fear for Tucker and our children driving me on. My brain recognized the smell to some extent, like it was something that I had smelled before. Unfortunately, the scare with the Volturi those years meant that I had met more vampires than I ever wanted to, than I had ever dreamed I would.

The smell crossed with one that was more recognizable to me, one that I lived with. Jay. The vampire's smell crossed with that of my surrogate brother. _I need help!_ Collin screamed in my head. The words practically echoed in my head and had me cringing with their volume. _Spencer's gone. My house smells like leech and I can't find Spencer anywhere. The window to our bedroom is broken. I need help. I have to find her._

_I can't find Tucker or the kids either,_ I replied, turning from where Jay's scent was and heading towards Collin._ Is that the smell? _I asked him, letting it fill my brain. He nodded sharply. _I think that he has Jay, too. The smell crosses with Jay's. _

_He's after imprints, then,_ Paul replied. I had forgotten that he was there, running around to escape his family for just a few moments. I didn't know what that felt like, though. I loved my family. I wanted to be with them every minute of every day. At this moment, I wanted them here in my arms so I could be sure that they were safe again. _I'm going to run by Ryanne and Jake's. He needs to know about this. You two go and start talking to the other wolves. Find out if any one else is missing their imprint. Let's get going. _I nodded curtly and started sprinting to where I'd hoped Embry would me. _Hey Seth,_ Paul called. I slid to a stop and looked in his general direction, but he was too far away for me to see him. _Please do me a favor and check on my family before you go to find your people. I need to know they're safe._

I gave him one sharp nod and turned a full one-eighty towards the LaHote house. When I was younger, I wouldn't have understood why he wanted me to go and see his people. But now, with my family being so near and dear to me, I understood all too well. Pretending like it was my family that I was running for, I allowed my paws to swallow the dirt between the house and me. I would want someone to take care of my family when I couldn't. I ran and ran until I found myself skidding to a stop just inside the tree line, just where I would remain hidden.

Charlie was standing in the front yard, her stomach swollen with her next child. She was stooped at the waist to soothe some tears from PJ's face. Nina was standing off to the side playing with Ariana's boyfriend. They were safe, blessedly safe and together. _They're fine, Paul,_ I called when I could sense him still in my head. _I need to go find my imprint and my kids,_ I added. I sprinted through the trees to the next house, finding Penn sitting on the front porch with Lizzie in her lap. Before I could approach and find Embry to warn him, he came out from the house and with two glasses and a sippy-cup in his elbow. He would be able to watch his family. Jake would let him know what was going on. No reason for me to scare him now.

Paul would check on Jake and Ryanne. Brady didn't have an imprint. That left Quil, Leah, Jared, and Sam. _Who have you got? _I called to Collin as I headed towards Leah's house.

_Yeah, I've only got Quil left,_ he replied.

_No, you don't. I'm here. I can't find Claire. I was supposed to pick her up today. Her parents said that she was at the beach with her friends but she's not there. I can't find her anywhere and there's vamp at the Makah reservation. I know that it's silly, but I'm worried -_

_You should be,_ I cut in._ Tucker and the kids are missing and Collin can't find Spencer. _All three of us growled low as we realized that our families were in danger. _I'm going to Fork. Tucker was going to do some grocery shopping. It's not like her to take hours and hours getting groceries. I just want to make sure. _They nodded their understanding and asked me to let them know what I found when I got to Forks. I promised that I would, more concerned about finding my girlfriend than anything in the world.

The closer that I got to the grocery store, the stronger the stench of parasite became. Unfortunately for me, that meant that she was more than likely with that monstrosity. It had taken her. And my kids. I could smell the baby powder scent of them. As they got older, as they figured out more of their personalities, their traces changed. For the moment, though, they smelled like happy little children. Unless they needed a diaper change. The suburban glared at me from the front of the lines of parked cars. It was there...and cold. She hadn't touched the car in hours. That thing had taken her. That thing had taken my kids.

_She's not here,_ I pronounced sadly. _And I don't know where else she could be. The car's here. It's cold. She hasn't touched it in hours. She wouldn't just _**_run_**_ from me. She wouldn't do this to her kids. She loves me!_

_We all know that. Just like we know that Spencer loves me and Claire loves Quil. The point isn't that our imprints do or don't love us. We're talking about the fact that our girls are missing._

_My _**_family_**_ is missing!_ I shouted.

_We know!_ Quil shouted. _No one is trying to belittle your pain or anything, Seth, sitting there and complaining will do nothing for you. _**_Nothing_**_! We need to go and find our girls, find your family. We can sit around here or we can actually do something and be proactive. Collin, you try and trace the vampire's smell. Seth, you find Jay's scent and track him. Figure out how far he got. I don't care if he was with the vampire or not. You figure out how far he got before you lose his smell. Jake and Jared will run patrol. I'm heading to Makah to track Claire as far as I can. Maybe we'll find a meeting spot where he took all the kids._

We all quickly took to our paths, noses to the ground. We ignored everyone and everything, allowing the wolf sides of our brains full control. I was going to find my family. I was going to rip that leech limb from limb, until he was nothing but dust beneath my feet. And when he was ground down, I was going to take pleasure in lighting his dust on fire.

I bumped against Collin, my nose quite literally buried in the dirt. _This is where Spencer's trail ends, _he replied.

_Claire's too,_ Quil announced, loping into our circle. _What about Jay's?_

_Jay's ends, but Tucker's is still over by the grocery store. _

_There's no point; we already know that she's with them. Now we just have to figure out where he took them,_ Quil said. Somehow, he was the one being the most levelheaded. I think it was because he was the one who had been imprinted the longest. The three of us sat back on our haunches, sitting like dogs while we tried to figure out what to do next. I dipped my head and closed my eyes, whispering a silent prayer for my family

My eyes opened wide, determination hopefully blazing in their depths. A scrap of something caught my eye. A scrap of cloth or something similar glared at me, almost white against the mud. _Guys,_ I called. I leaned down and gripped the little thing between my canines. _This is Jay's. It reeks of him._

_Must be a gym shirt,_ Collin suggested. It would have to be since it smelled like the boy had made fabric softener out of himself. I tossed it away from me ran forward. Some few hundred feet in front of me was another scrap. _He's leaving us a trail._

_Smart kid,_ Quil praised.

_That's my boy._


	44. Chapter XLIII

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLIII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

Jay ran out of t-shirt material somewhere by the border of Oregon. The boy was smarter than I hard ever been. The cloth that we found along the highway had been tied into tiny sacs, weighty rocks pressed in the middle. I couldn't say what the boy was thinking, whether he was planning to escape and follow his path home or whether he was leaving me a trail. I hoped for the latter, hoped that he had enough faith in me to know that I would always come after him. I had to find him.

The pieces that we picked up leaving Forks were more than just Jay. He was the dominant scent to each of them, but I could pick up traces of Tucker, of our kids. Collin could find Spencer's smell in there. Quil detected Claire's. Our families were together. We had that to go on. I comforted the others by promising that Tucker would never let anything hurt them, that she was stronger, that she was stubborn. But every word that I told them only set me more on edge. I had seen the lengths that Tucker would go to just to protect her people. This monster wouldn't care that she was brave and determined. To it, she would be nothing more than a snack.

The guys decided to grab some food, knowing that we would be no good to our imprints if we didn't have our strength. We had seen what it had done to Jake when his imprint had disappeared. We couldn't let ourselves get like that. We couldn't lose ourselves in the grief. We had too much to lose if we did. But I couldn't stop until I figured out Jay's next clue. It had to be somewhere. He was a smart kid. He would have figured out another move. I ran a couple of hundred miles around his last clue, going in each direction, but to no avail. I didn't even want to guess how Jameson had managed to slip those things out the window of whatever car he was in. Especially under the nose of a vampire.

I was just over the Idaho border when I a rundown gas station came into view. I was thirsty, needing to get back to the guys, needing to find my family. Some water and a trip to the bathroom. Then I could get back to Collin and Quil. I had found nothing. That would mean that they... I didn't know what that would mean. "Do you guys have a bathroom?" I asked when the guy behind the counter looked up at me. He nodded and jabbed a thumb a door hidden against the side. He was a young kid who clearly didn't care about his job. He would be no help in finding my family. Pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, I tried to relieve the stress that was quickly building up there.

The bathroom was small, but tidy. Evidence for just how low-key this place was. It was small and just outside of some natural forest or another. I doubted many people stopped there, other than campers getting ready to leave and people in the RVs. I made quick work of my needs and washed my hands, needing to get back to the guys. I grabbed a few of the thinnest paper towels I had ever encountered to dry my hands. I was about to throw them away with the smell hit me. Lacey. It was her, and most definitely not her most enticing smell.

Feeling like a freak, I dropped the paper towels in the sink and began digging through the trash. Tucker had to know that this thing was a vampire. She wouldn't let him near the kids for anything. And Jay, as smart as he was, wouldn't let the man who'd kidnapped him near his niece and nephew. It had to be one of them. Both of them would have found a way to leave me something, to get me a note. There were not just three dirty diapers in the trash, but a fourth that was, dare I say, significantly heavier.

I sniffed at it hesitantly, praying to God that it wasn't one of Wesley's fuller bellies that had been emptied. It didn't smell like shit. Well, it did, but not as I was expecting. Instead, it smelled like baby food. Like...yams? Digging through the trash for a dirty diaper had to be one of the nastiest things that I had ever done before. But if it would bring back my family, I would dig through a million, smell a thousand nasty diapers. I would walk through fire, have every supernatural ability I had taken from me. So long as I could have them.

I dropped the changing station down, silently hoping that the note I was waiting for would be there and _not_ hidden in the depths of this diaper. There was no writing, but there was Lacey's little beanie that I had bought for her. The one that had the gems around the bottom, the one that she enjoyed playing with more than wearing. They'd been here. My family was here. Before I was really prepared for the influx of emotions, I felt myself sink against the tile wall. Tears welled up in my eyes, grateful and warm.

I wouldn't let them fall, though. I didn't have time for that. Instead, I stood against and dropped the nappy down. It thunked loudly, louder than it should have for a child's diaper. There was something in here. I unfolded it, almost awkward in my movements since I had never _undone_ one before. A jar of baby food smiled at me. Yams. The brand and food that always gave Lacey diarrhea. It was hardly far to give the child an upset stomach just to be able to hide clues for me, but at the end of the day, I doubted the little girl would mind. She would be saving her family.

But I wanted more than just a jar. I wanted a note, something that told me I found the people that I was looking for. So I opened the jar. Jay's handwriting glared at me, messy and scrawled on the scratchy paper towels. _Seth or Tucker,_ it began. He didn't know that the monster had his sister. That much was evident to me. But how did he have the kids if he didn't know where Tucker was? None of this was making any sense to me.

_He has the kids, but I don't know where. I'm not allowed to see them. I was only allowed to throw these away. I don't think that this will find you, but I have to hope. He keeps me blindfolded, the music too loud for me to hear anything around me. I don't know where we are. I don't know where we're going. I'm trying to give you as many clues as I can, guys. You have to come and get the kids. You have to find us, one way or another._

_I told him that the yam food would calm the kids down. I know that it's a dick thing to do, but I can't think of another way to get us out of the car. Besides, shit is biodegradable, right? _I kept trying to read, but it was becoming more and more difficult. The water had smudged the bottom of the folded towel. _I love you guys, Jay._ I was able to make out the end of it, but that was it. Jay was with the kids. They were together, some way, some how.

It was no wonder that he wouldn't let Tucker out with the kids, though. She wouldn't be as easy to break as Jay would. He would do the best for everyone, heedless of putting herself at risk. No, bringing the kids to Jay would make him think that he was the only one that the kids had, Jay wouldn't risk himself. He wouldn't risk leaving the kids in the hands of that monster. Whoever this vampires was, he was smart. He knew how to separate my family, how to hurt them.

My phone rang out, breaking my silent reverie. I answered and pulled the thing up to my ear, resting the device against my shoulder to conceal the evidence and tuck the note in my back pocket. _"Where the hell are you man?" _Collin asked impatiently. He had only just imprinted. I wondered what it felt like to have her for only a few days and lose her. It must be tearing him apart, especially given his history with her.

"I found them," I said brightly.

_"Where? Is Spencer there? Is she okay?"_

"I didn't find them like that," I said apologetically. I should have phrased it better so as not to get his hopes up. "I found a note from Jay. He doesn't say anything about Spencer or Claire. He doesn't even know that Tucker's with him. But he's finding a way to get to us."

_"This boy of your's would have made a great wolf,"_ Collin muttered. _"Phase and let us know where you are. We'll meet you there."_

I hung up and exited the bathroom, digging the note out of my pocket again. "Hang in there, Jay," I begged him. "I'm coming."


	45. Chapter XLIV

**Author's Note: There will be no chapters for ****_Chains Around Her Heart _****or****_ Chivalry is Dead_**** today. There will be a double update to ****_Pretending_****. Sunday, there will be a new update timetable. Saturday will be a little weird while I try to figure stuff out. See my profile for more details. Love & Thanks! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLIV**

I hadn't noticed the little slot in the door when it was closed the first time. After a quick nap, I was awoken by the sound of metal clanging and plastic being crinkled. The water bottle landed with an audible splash. I scrambled o where the sound had come from, hoping that it was the water that I needed to survive. I found renewed strength, scurrying to get there as quickly as I could, hoping to keep from losing most of the water. The liquid soothed my aching throat, gave me just the slightest bit of relief from the thirst.

My body pleaded for more, begged me to drink down the half-empty bottle. My mind won out, though. I had no way of knowing when I was going to get more water, but I knew that I was going to die without it. Besides that fact, if I was to guzzle the rest of it, I would probably only make myself sick. I couldn't do that. I had to get out of here. I had to get back to the kids and Jay and Spencer and Claire and... And Seth. I had to find a way to get to Seth. He needed to get to the kids.

There had to be a way out of here. I needed to get some kind of a message to Jay. He was a smart kid. He would figure out how to let Seth know we were here. He had to figure out where we were. I laid down on the floor again, the water bottle lying just outside my reach so that I couldn't swallow it down whole. I laid my hands on my stomach, feeling it rumble underneath my fingers. "You are strong; you are going to get out of this," I whispered to myself. "You are going to get _your kids_ out of this."

I rolled onto my side, my back sore from lying down on the ground for so long. Sleep was easy enough to come by, except that when I opened my eyes after what seemed like a millisecond, the water bottle was empty. My brain was breaking down slowly, but my body was in good enough shape to know that it needed water. There had to be a way to get Seth a message. I rolled myself over the plastic bottle and against the wall. A rock smashed against my back, pressing against my spine. I grunted and shoved away from it then, gripping the quarter sized stone in my hand. I tapped against the wall, just wanting a little noise other than my heartbeat and the sound of my breathing.

Less than a second after, a tap sounded back to me. I knew that I shared a wall with Jay and the rest of them, but I didn't know which. I bit my lip and tried to think of the best way to communicate with my brother. The only thing that came to mind was Morris Code, the likes of which I didn't know. Three short taps followed by a long pause, another three, another pause, and finally four. I tried to make a connection between numbers and letters, but CCD didn't mean anything to me. Jay repeated it when I didn't answer him.

Maybe not corresponding to letters, but the number of letters per word. Three, three, four._ We are okay_ wouldn't work. The forest word had three letters. _Are we dead_ wouldn't work. It wouldn't be like Jay to ask me a question about them. He would be wanting to know about me. This was like the worst game of charades. _Are you okay?_ That would be a logical thing for Jay to ask me. If, in fact, it was Jay, it would only make sense. There were just too many variables for me to be putting all my hope into this. Yet, at the same time, I was telling myself that I knew my brother and that I had to have faith in that.

I tapped back. Once, a pause, two, another break, four. _I am okay_, I was hoping he would get out of this. _Are you guys okay?_ I tried, feeling like I was pushing my luck on our conversation just a little bit. But then he tapped back. Two, three, four. I hoped he was saying _We are okay_ and not _We are dead._ I lifted my hand to respond to him when light flood the little room. I slid the rock down my chest, trying to inconspicuously drop the rock. "You drank your water," he smiled. I narrowed my eyes at him, biting my tongue to keep from shouting at him though I doubted any words would come out of my mouth. My throat was far too dry for that.

"Come along," he said, gripping my upper arm and pulled me towards the opening, despite how hard I was fighting to get away. At least, I thought that I was fighting hard. My depleted strength might have made it so that I wasn't actually fighting that much. "I have some questions for you." I gave up on my struggle. This monster was stronger than me and there was nothing I was going to be able to do about it. I craned my neck to try and find Jay or Spencer or Claire or a sign of anything that I recognized. "They're locked up good and tight. Don't you worry, though. We've got a little system figured out. So long as you tell me what I want to know, they'll be fine."

My bluff faltered. If this thing would hurt my family, Seth would want me to tell him everything that I knew. The problem was that I knew nothing. I knew little more than the legends, which didn't exactly tell people how to kill the wolves. It said how to destroy them, sure. Kill a wolf's imprint and the wolf would lose himself. But that would mean leaving Jay and the kids without anyone and this monster would kill Claire and Spencer. Who's to say that he wouldn't kill Jay and the kids, too? Just to add insult to injury. I had no choice but to give him information.

I hid my smile behind a ask of worry. I had to give him information, just not the right information. Hell, I didn't know anything about the wolves. I could lie to him. I could tell him things that probably weren't true. I just had to make it _sound_ like the truth. I could do that. It was the only way to save everyone. "There's some food for you," he said, forcing me towards another room. I looked around the dimly lit room, taking in the two chairs and the chains that were lying in a supposedly harmless pile against one wall. I doubted that they were going to be harmless. They were going to be used against me. I could see it in his ruby red eyes.

He pressed me down into the chair that was closer to the chains. Hunger got the best of me. I reached for the sourdough roll that was sitting in front of me. It was freshly baked, the smell of it making my mouth water. "Ah, ah, ah," he clicked. "I need some information before I can let you satisfy your hunger." He looked at me apologetically, like he was _sorry_ he was having to torture me. "There are just a few questions that I have. Once you've answered them, I'll let you eat and see your family." The tugging sensation came back to my heart. God how I wanted to see my brother, to make sure that he and my kids were safe, to ensure the protection of the other imprints that were stuck here as well.

"I want to see them. I want to make sure that nothing has happened to them and then I will tell you everything," I promised. "Any question that you have, I'll answer." I wouldn't answer truthfully, but I would answer. He cocked an eyebrow at me. "How do I know that you're not lying to me? How do I know that you're not hurting them, torturing them for information, starving the little ones? You let me see them and I'll tell you everything," I croaked. He chuckled at me and smiled, the look more like that of a coiled rattler.

"You think that you have the power here? I could kill you, _all_ of you, and none of your little dogs where you were," he replied.

"Without me, you have nothing. Spencer is new to the Pack; she knows nothing. Claire is a seven-year-old, she only knows stories. Jay and those kids aren't a part of the Pack, they're just along for the ride. The wolves don't even care about them," I lied. The wolves did care about my family because my family was _theirs_. Plain and simple. "The only one who can help you is me. If you hurt the others, you'll only incur the wrath of the wolves. Kill me after I tell you anything, but know that if you hurt an innocent, which they are all innocents, those wolves will rip you to shreds." I coughed hard, feeling sandpaper in my throat. He pushed a glass my way. I sipped cautiously but had to hope that he was believing my bluff. "Bring me proof that they are well, or I will tell you nothing. Your brother will ever be avenged."

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment, his finger tapping his chin pensively. "Very well," he conceded. "I'll bring you one." He stood and pulled the door shut and I sagged with relief against the wooden back of the chair.


	46. Chapter XLV

**Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you guys are thinking. I love all my lovely loyal readers, even though I'm not the best at remembering to say it sometimes. Hugs and kisses to all! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLV:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

We continued tracking, which was mostly guessing, our families for the next few hours before all of knew that we were getting too tired. If there was a fight coming, we needed our strength to make sure that this bastard paid. Hopefully we would be able to get the message that our families were off limits out to any leech._ I'll run in and get us food,_ I said when we came across a Safeway. _You guys find us somewhere to stay and let me know what you get_. They nodded their agreement, the three of us parting ways to go about our respective tasks.

I phased out and tugged on clothes before walking inside. My brain went onto autopilot, though, heading down the baby aisle when I should have been buying beef jerky and sodas for me and the guys. The basket swung limply from my arm as I pulled up to the transitional foods for the kids. I was just asking for the pain going down that aisle by myself. Without my kids. Without my family. I almost smiled when I cam on their favorite yogurt melts. A smile that quickly turned to a frown.

The strawberry melts were shoved back as far as they could go, some kind of mashed eggplant dish that had nothing to do with yogurt in front of them. A can of three-cheese raviolis that didn't even belong in the aisle. In front of that was a frozen ham quiche that was melting, dribbling water onto the floor. "Fucking kids," a middle-aged man said as he walked down with a cart. "They just move shit around whenever they feel like it." He shook his head and swept the things onto the cart, all of the strawberry melts included. "Picked stuff that expired too. Fucking kids," he repeated.

I shook my head, feeling like I was reading too much into it. Beef jerky and soda; that's what I was here for. But I still couldn't get the foods out of my head. Even the meanest kid wouldn't have ruined all those foods for nothing. Seth! The word popped into my head as I reached for the teriyaki jerky. Strawberry, eggplant, three-cheese, and ham. Fucking Jay; the boy could find a way to leave a message anywhere. I swooped the jerky into the basket, vaguely aware that I had grabbed more packs than we would really need, and rushed back to the baby food aisle.

I reached my entire arm where the strawberry yogurt melts had been and searched, hoping for something, _anything_. My fingers came in contact with flimsy paper, like a receipt. It could be that someone had just shoved their old receipt back here, but even as the thought entered my head, it didn't make sense to me. My name was scribbled on the blank side. My heart stopped. I had to tell them, the guys. It was their families too. _"Hey Seth; we haven't figured out where we're sleeping yet. You know, the forest is always an option," _Quil said as nonchalantly as he could.

"I found a note from Jay. We're heading in the right direction," I managed.

_"What did he say?" _Collin demanded then.

"I don't know; I haven't read it yet."

_"You're in Safeway, right?"_

"Yeah."

_"We'll be right there,"_ Quil assured me. I though I heard clothing tear but I couldn't be sure with the distortion from the phone. It wouldn't be a surprise if Collin had phased though. He was terrified for Spencer and he wouldn't tell either of us why.

I bought the food and drinks, thinking that we could eat while we figured out Seth's next clue. The note itched in my pocket, though. I needed to know about the kids, about him, about Tucker. I needed them all to be safe. "What'd he say?" Collin demanded as he marched into the store.

"I haven't read it yet. Unlike you, I have patience," I replied, though my patience was wearing thin. "Took you guys long enough," I added.

"I had to find some clothes," he admitted. So I had heard it correctly earlier. "I need to find her, Seth. I've let bad things happen to her before. I can't let them happen again." I nodded and pulled the note out of my back pocket.

_Seth, _

_Not in a house. Underground. Don't know where. With T, Sp., Cl. & kids. All OK. Sun rises by spot._

_J_

"A little less descriptive than his last note," Quil complained.

"Give the kid some credit," Collin cut in. "Probably the best he could do being watched by a vampire. He's doing the best he can. And without this shit," Collin snatched the thin paper from my hands, "we wouldn't know where they were or if they were okay."

"But what does he mean when he talks about the sun?" Quil continued.

"He's trying to tell us where they are," I cut in. "They've got to be in this city or the next one over. The parasite wouldn't leave the imprints and kids unattended in case any of them tried to escape. He would have to be close by. These towns are small enough that they wouldn't have many places to go," I explained. "Jay is trying to tell us that they're east. Wherever they are, he's seen the sunrise from there."

"They underground. How can he see the sunrise?" Quil demanded. "That boy of your's may be smart, but damn if he didn't leave us one hell of a riddle."

"When the leech let him out," Collin jumped in. "The parasite wouldn't want there to be a lot of people, in case Jay told them that he was kidnapped. If he took him before sunrise, Jay would have seen it rising from here. If he took him after, maybe your kid was able to see it when they were leaving. He's already proven that he's smart, Quil. He's the only thing getting us to our imprints. Have a little faith."

We were in some Podunk town in Utah, this store being the first one that I had seen in the entire town. "We're getting close to them," I said. "We don't have time to sleep. We need to get food and get going. We need to head east. The three of us can take down any vampire if it's just one."

"And if it's more than that? I know you want your family, Seth. I'm worried about Claire too," Quil admitted. "But we need to think rationally."

"It is rational," Collin said. "Even if it's an army the size of the Volturi, I'll kill every single one. Would you rather lose Claire because you wanted to rest up first? Is that how much you care about your imprint?"

"You little fuck," Quil spat.

"Stop, you two," I commanded, feeling like I was at home again, breaking up Wesley and Westyn's little arguments. "We all care about our imprints and each other. There is no argument there. We can argue about rest or fight after we find them. But we have to find them first. We have to make sure that they're okay before we do anything else. So let's eat and get going," I snapped. We each shoveled food into our mouths, chewing jerky fast and hard enough to break teeth and probably pop jaws. But we just needed enough in our stomachs to keep us going for a little while longer.

"We head east," Quil said when the two liters and waters were gone. Collin and I nodded.

"I didn't mean what I said," Collin said by way of apology.

"Tensions are high," Quil replied by way of forgiveness. "My imprint at least knows that I love her. You lose Spencer, you'll never be able to tell her."

"If I lose Spencer, I'll die. You guys don't understand," he whispered.

"No one is losing their imprint," I snarled again. "Head east. Split up and try to find your imprint's scent or anything that you recognize. Hell, look for the vampire's scent if you get nothing else. They have to be here somewhere. We have to find them."

We split up as soon as we were phased again, all of us heading east but far enough apart that we were covering the amount of ground necessary to find our imprints. After a few hours, though, it started to feel like we were running in circles. All of us were tired, but none of us would be able to sleep if we tried. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep until I had all the kids piled between me and Tucker with Jay sleeping n his little chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. I wouldn't feel happy again until we were all together, until I could smell them all in my bed. Until I could hold them all.

_I got something!_ Collin shouted. _I smell Spencer._ The image of his location filed through my brain, ruins of an old barn or something. _Head north; I'll wait for you._

_And then we kill this bastard,_ I snarled, more to myself than to them. But that didn't stop both of them from agreeing with me.


	47. Chapter XLVI

**Author's Note: Please see the new update timetable and be aware that there will be NO SUNDAY UPDATES from now on. Sorry, guys, but we'll have to live on six chapters a week. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLVI**

I should have known that he wasn't going to bring me one of my kids or Jay. I suppose that was for the best, really. Jay didn't need to see his sister with dry, cracked lips. I probably looked like something drawn up in a Tim Burton film, my naturally curly hair having gone crazy without being brushed and washed for almost a week now. I sucked in a quivering breath and tried to formulate the next step in my plan. I had to get us out of here. "I brought you a little friend to play with," he said.

I should have known that he wasn't going to bring me the people that I wanted to see. He shoved Spencer through the door. Her left eye was swollen completely shut, a cut in her eyebrow leaking blood over her lid. The other eye was half lidded, like she needed sleep desperately. I could see a welt growing on her shoulder, the skin rubbed smooth like she'd been lying against a wall for too long. "Now, if there's no planning on how to get out of here, you two may have your little _chat_," he added, stroking Spencer's jaw affectionately. She shivered and pulled away as gently and quickly as she could. The vampire sighed heavily. "So touchy since our little...talk." He smiled at us again. "Enjoy yourselves."

I waited until the door clicked shut, the loud sound echoing through the room. "Good God, Spencer, what happened to you?" I begged her. I pulled her into a tight hug, needing to hold someone. She stiffened at first, her spine straight as a board, but it didn't take long for her to slump down in my arms. "What happened to you, Spence? Are you okay?" She shook her head softly, her hair brushing against my neck.

"Don't worry," she breathed. "Everyone's fine." I shook my head now and pressed her down into the seat that I'd been sitting in. "What has he been doing to you?" she asked now. I grabbed the napkin that was there under my food. I tipped the water glass enough to catch some water. "What are you doing?" she asked now, her one eye glazed over like she wasn't quite sure where she was anymore. I grasped her chin in my hand and tilted her face so that I could scrub the mark on her neck. "The others are fine."

"I'm sure they are," I replied. "But right now, I'm concerned about you. What did they do to you, Spencer?" She winced and hissed when I dug a little deeper into her tissue to get the dirt out. "Sit still, now. I know that it hurts but we have to make sure that we get all the bad things out."

"I'm not a kid. I know what infections and dirt are," she seethed.

"Sorry; I'm used to dealing with kids," I admitted. "What did you do, Spencer?" I begged her, noticing that the marks were the size of cigarettes.

"He was angry." Her head flopped against my shoulder, like Lacey's would when she was hurt. My little girl's tiny arms would hook themselves around my neck, her little face pressed into my neck. And I would wrap my arms around her petite body and hold her close. I did the same to Spencer, knowing fully well that I was treating her like a child but giving her comfort at the same time. "I couldn't let him take Jay because... because I don't know how to take care of other people. But I know how to take a -" She stopped then, but I knew what she was trying to say. She knew how to take a beating. I could see from her behavior since I had met her that she'd had a hard past.

"I don't know how to thank you enough, Spencer," I breathed, smoothing my hand over her hair. "They're not your family and you didn't have to take care of you for doing it anyways." Her hot tears hits my neck, making me want to cry myself.

"Collin said that you guys wanted me to be a part of your family," she replied quietly. "I've never had a family before. It's always been me and Collin; the two of us against the rest of the world."

"You've got a family now, Spence."

"You're kind of like a mom, huh?" I nodded, barely able to hold my smile. It hurt too much to smile. My lips were stretched and cracking. "Can I ask you for a favor?" I nodded again without hesitation. She slumped against me again. "Will you tell Collin that I'm sorry? That I love him?"  
"Come on, Spence," I coughed. Tipping the glass to my lips so that I could wet my throat again. "It's not that bad. The guys should be here any time now. We've been gone for a week. The have to be close. We were only driving for like, what, two hours?"

"Longer than that," she coughed. "Can I have some of that water?" I helped her tip the cup, since her fingers were too burned to grab the cup. "I was so cold," she whispered. "I wanted to stay warm, so I grabbed this pole. I think it's the heater for the cellar that we're in, which is weird because I've never seen a cellar with a heater."

"How long were we driving for?" I asked.

"At least eight hours, as far as I can tell," she said. "I stopped trying to keep track of time after I fell asleep."

"At least you were able to sleep in the car," I retorted.

"We were in an RV," she replied. "I thought that he put you in a car. That's what I heard him saying on the phone."

"That would make sense. Is he feeding Jay and the kids and Claire?"

"They eat regularly," she replied.

"But you?"

"They need it more than I do," she replied. I smiled a little wider. She was going to be such a great parent one day. If Collin would only see that she was the girl that he was supposed to be with for the rest of his life. I held her a little closer. "I've never had a mom before."

"Well, trust me, you've got more than just me now. Wait until Emily gets her hands on you. She's the most motherly of us all. But if you're looking for a little hard, blunt, honest love, you'll want Ryanne," I said, amazed at my knowledge of the Pack. They really had become my family. "The guys are going to get us out of here," I promised her. "You're going to get back safe."

Her head sagged ridiculously, her face a little paler than it was when she'd walked in. "Alright, that's enough pow-wow for one day," the leech said, coming back into the room. "Come along, you. There's a man in the other room who's been missing you tremendously. Spencer practically sagged in his arms. And then I noticed the blood dripping down her leg, from her thigh of all places. "Hmmm... I'll have to warn him to be cautious of doing more damage."

"Why are you doing this to her?" I screeched, pressing up to my feet and latching onto her arm. I attempted to pull her closer to me, but the parasite held her with an iron grip. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"You should hear her," he laughed. "She refuses to make a sound when being punished. That's ironic, of course. Did you know that she could cry like an infant?" He glared at Spencer. "Quite convincingly, too. At least, that's what she tells every time my man goes in to make the children to stop crying." He pulled on her again. Her eyes filled with tears. I couldn't tell whether he was causing her pain or whether she was sorry for all the things that she'd done for my family. "Girl has some amazing talents." She shook her head and stepped towards me. "Come along now," he added.

He handed her to another man waiting outside. With a menacing smile, he turned to face me. "Now, you, we have some conversing to do," he said. "How do I kill them?" he asked immediately. My first thought was to say that he couldn't, that the wolves were going to tear him limb from limb. Especially when they saw what'd happened to Spencer. "Is there an elixir? A potion? Otherwise, I'm all for ripping their hearts out."

"That won't do any good," I rushed to say. "The wolves are Spirit Warriors. They don't exist on this plane. Not in this realm," I said. "They're _Spirits_. The man and wolf join souls. He becomes immortal. Nothing can kill him."

"Is that your response?" he demanded.

"There's a legend," I muttered. "It talks about some rare plants that grow up in the village."

"What are they?" he snarled. I frowned, trying to remember those things that I had read about Washington state, the flowers that grew there, the trees, the leaves. Before I knew what he was on about, he wrapped one thick chain around my waist.

"Can't have you going anywhere until I know these legends," he growled. I sighed like I was disinterested, but my mind whirled to try and figure out the next part of my story.


	48. Chapter XLVII

**Author's Note: I know I'm late tonight; I'm a little out of it today. Not been feeling well. Either way, sorry and Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter XLVII**

"What else is in this potion?" There was a part of me that couldn't believe that he was really buying this bullshit. I supposed that I was a better liar than I gave myself credit for. I must be if he was believing that there was a magical potion that could kill Spirit Warriors. "How did it come about?" he demanded then. Naturally he wanted to know more. It wouldn't be enough to know the how. I was going to have to figure out the why. And I had no idea what the _why_ was going to be.

"There are legends, the true events of how these things happened. The Spirit Warriors were created as protectors of the tribe," I began trying to stay close enough to the truth that I wouldn't falter in my words without giving away real information. "They joined souls with wolves, became immortal. In the beginning, the only way for a Spirit Warrior to die was to stop changing. They couldn't be killed, but if they could control the impulse to become wolves, they could live out natural lives and die like regular men."

"Where's the potion?" he growled.

"One of the wolves got greedy. His other packmates were finding mates and getting married and having kids. One by one, they stopped phasing. As a Pack, they decided that all the members should stop phasing. To make way for the next generation, it was time for them to step down. Utlapa didn't want to," I lied. "He challenged the Alpha, for the right to command the Pack. It led to all out warfare, to the Pack divide. A few sided with Utlapa, but most of them stuck by their Alpha: Taha Aki. The men fought, but the wolves are immortal even to each other."

"Which leads us to your magical potion."

"Exactly. Taha Aki was the first Alpha ever. It was his blood, his _family_ that started the pack. The found the plants that were rare in our parts, in La Push and Forks. Red Elderberry roots, red-oak sap, birch bark, and," I stopped, trying to think of the last ingredient. I was a researcher; that was all I ever wanted to be. I had looked into everything about La Push before I left. Except, apparently, for a few local legends, but that was a minor detail.

"And?" he demanded, getting impatient.

"And the blood of an Alpha," I added quickly. "Blood bound the Pack; blood killed those who were no longer a part of their Pack. Without the Alpha's blood, you have nothing more than tea with mashed berries in it."

"I don't suppose that I'm luring an Alpha into this whole thing, am I?" he asked then. My mind raced, trying to figure out what I could say. I could tell him yes, that Seth was an Alpha or something along those lines. Then I just had to trust that Seth would go along with it when he finally got here to save us. If that didn't happen though... There was no guarantee that he wouldn't kill my family. All of them.

But if I told him no, I didn't know what he would do. Would he kill me? Would he hurt the others even more if he knew? The chances of Seth talking to him were slim. Seth would want to kill him and get our families out of there. "My husband, Seth," I whispered. It was easier to lie when I didn't have to raise my voice loud enough to be truly heard. "He's the current Alpha of the Pack. You want to kill the other two, you're going to need his blood." That would give Seth enough time to figure out what to do; how to get our families out of this mess.

"Are you lying to me?" he asked just as quietly.

"What reason do I have to lie to you?" I sobbed. In the midst of my story, the leech had managed to chain me down. My wrists were bound to the arms of the chair that I was sitting in. The cold iron was pressing into my waist. "You have my family. All the people that I care about, you have locked in that room. And who you don't have, my _husband_..." I couldn't help but laugh. "He's gonna rip your head from that cold, undead body. You are going to regret every minute that we've spent with you."

"I like girls with a little fire to them," he laughed.

"Melts your icy heart, right?" I snarled. "Somethings got to."

"You're an outspoke little thing," he continued. "Like I said earlier, I like that." I spat in his face then. I could afford to be difficult now that he had "the truth." I could afford to be a bitch and talk back.

His hand walloped across my face. It was like being struck with a brick. I thought that I heard my teeth crack and chip. For a brief moment, I was actually afraid that they were going to fall out. I tasted blood from where the silky lining of my cheek caught the jagged edges. And it was difficult to talk. It was difficult to open my mouth, really. Okay, impossible might be a better word. He smiled at me and cocked his head to the side. "Does that hurt? I'm sorry. I must have dislocated your jaw. You see, sometimes I forget that I'm practically made of stone."

I felt the tears slip down my face, but there was nothing I could do to stop them. The pain was intense, worse than anything that I had ever felt before. "I really didn't want to hurt you," he said. "Your information was most informative. If you could have just managed to keep your mouth shut afterwards," he sighed, regret lacing his tone. "Well, not that it matters now. You'll have to wait until you're found to have that fixed. Until then, you're just going to have to live with you're mouth shut."

I rested my head against the wooden back of the chair, everything hurting. "You should hope that they're going to be here soon," he said, backing towards the door again. "Plenty of people dislocate their jaws. It'll lock up for a few days. Unfortunately, a few days without water will be all it takes for you. I've been careful, you know. I've only given you enough water to keep you alive. A few more days, you're body won't know what to do."

He kept backing towards the door until there was nothing left of them and the door had been closed. I slumped, staring at the water cup that was taunting me. I couldn't even reach it if I wanted to. My hands were stuck to the arms of the chair. Anything outside of the reach of a fingertip was unattainable. I trembled, waiting patiently for death to come. I needed to get away from all of this, at least mentally. So I let my eyes slid closed and tried desperately to convince myself that I was somewhere safe.

_Seth wrapped his arms around me, cuddling Westyn in one arm and Wesley in the other. Lacey was lying on his chest. "Come to bed, Tucker. Jay is safe in his room. Nothing is going to get you guys," he whispered. One silent feet, I ghosted towards the bed. The mattress shifted, and so did Seth. He let Lacey slide from his chest and into my arms. He shifted Westyn onto his chest and let me take his place. _

_"You know that I wish that I could be there with you right now, right Tucker?" he asked me. "I nodded, feeling the fatigue starting to drag me under. "I wish that I could take this pain away from you."_

_"You just have to get our kids out of here, Seth." He smiled at me tenderly. I knew that it was a dream. I knew that it wasn't real, but I was happy where I was. "They're your's, Seth. I was wrong to try and keep them from you."_

_"You were only trying to protect them."_

_"I know that, but I also know that you are a better father to them than the one they would have known." He growled and I smiled. I liked this dream. It was certainly realistic. If I could smell him, too. If only I could have his scent swirling around my nose. "I love them, Tucker. You know that."_

_"I know, Seth. I love you," I told him. "You have to take care of them for me, Seth. Don't let David's family find a way to get them. Look at the boy that they raised. You can't let them have them."_

_"I won't, Tuck. Now it's time to wake up."_

_"You can't let them get the kids," I repeated._

_"Tucker, wake up!"_

_"Seth, promise me that you won't let anyone else take our kids," I shouted at him._

"Tucker, wake up!"


	49. Chapter XLVIII

**Author's Note: Let me know what you guys think! I love getting reviews. Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Chapter XLVIII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

We both headed to where Collin showed us. I could smell my kids and Jay...and Tucker. They were here, we just had to know where. _I say we start digging, _Quil suggested. Collin and I both shook our heads. If we started digging, there was a chance that we could alert the vampire to our presence. We had to use stealth as much as we could. _What do you two suggest then? We have no idea where they are, only that they're here underground._

_There has to be a staircase or something. A trap door,_ I began slowly. _We just have to find it. Open it and find our families._ So we stuck our noses to the dirt yet again. We sniffed the entire area, hoping to figure out where their scents disappeared, where they trap door began. Getting frustrated, I sat back on my haunches. Quil did the same, but Collin, determined as ever, kept looking. Quil and I both heard the creak as Collin stepped on the grass. All three of us stopped. _Back up,_ I announced. Cautiously, Collin back a step again. The trap door that we were looking for creaked again.

_Collin, stay where you are, _Quil announced. _Seth, let's phase out. We can't go down their as wolves. _I agreed and phased out, pulling on just my shorts and sprinting back to Collin. When the three of us, human and shirtless, were gathered again, we sat down on our knees and searched for the handle. Buried in the grass and leaves was the small wooden handle. "Be careful," Quil whispered. Don't let it creak. We don't want him to know that we're here." I nodded, but Collin brushed my hand out of the way. Quickly, and amazingly quiet, Collin gripped the handle and ripped the whole thing away. "Not what I would have done, but okay," Quil murmured.

The three of us ran down the stairs as quickly as we could while being silent. "I need to find Spencer," Collin whispered. We agreed, silently, to find our imprints, to get them out. I couldn't help but wish that it only Tucker that was here. It would be easier to get one person out than it would be to get two people and three infants. I followed the stench of blood that had my gut turning. I was praying, begging, that it wasn't Tucker's blood. But I knew that it was.

I shoved a door aside to find a sad, pathetic, ghost of my imprint chained to her chair. Her creamy skin was beyond pale. It was almost translucent. Her eyelids were practically purple, her jaw sloped to the left. "Tucker," I called quietly. She hissed and winced but tried to move her lips anyways. "Tucker, I need you to wake up," I continued. I was practically frozen to my spot.

"Seth," she breathed before wincing.

Her quiet voice snapped the thread that was holding me back. I rushed forward, gently cradling her face in my hands. "Tucker, wake up!" I implored her. Her lips kept moving, though I noticed that her jaw remained stationary. "Tucker!" I screamed now, shaking her as much as I dared. "Wake up!" I snarled. Her eyes popped open, beautiful blue glassed over and staring at my brown. "Tucker, can you hear me?" I asked her. Her lids started to droop. "Tucker?" She pulled them up again. "If you can hear me, Tucker, then I need you to squeeze my hand or blink or something. Please?"

She squeezed my hand lightly. My heart leapt. "Kids," she squeezed out, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Get out." Get the kids out. That was always her command. Take care of the kids. It was what she lived for. I just hoped that it wasn't what she died for as well. "Get out," she replied stiffly.

"I'll get the kids, Tucker. I promise. Let me get you out first." She squeezed my hand twice this time. No. My imprint was going to lose herself to save her kids and she wouldn't let me take care of her until I had taken care of them. "Let me at least get you unchained. Please, Tucker. Compromise, remember?" I gave a laugh that was more a sob and brushed her mangled curls from her face. "We have to compromise. Let me get you unchained and then I'll get the kids." She squeezed my hand once, her hand falling to the arms of the chair.

I gripped the chain in two hands and tugged. Like it was little more than cloth, it came apart. Swiftly, I checked her abdomen for bruises. I wouldn't have very long before Tucker realized that I was trying to take care of her. Her hand trembled as she brought it up to my cheek. "Go," she said softly. I wanted to tell her no, to tell her that I was going to get her out and take her to the kids. But I couldn't. Losing those kids would be just as bad as losing her. "Love you."

"Don't you go saying goodbye, Tucker Mills. I'm going to get our kids and then I'm coming back for you," I growled at her. "I'll be right back, Tuck. I promise." She let her hand fall from my cheek. For good measure, I kissed her forehead since it was clear that her mouth was hurting her. "I love you, too Tucker." I stood and left, sniffing cautiously for any signs of vampire. The sent was old, although there was something that smelled like tobacco lingering in the air. "Jay?" I called out.

"Seth?" the quiet voice came back.

Quil was standing outside of the door that I'd heard Jay's voice through. "He won't open the door and I don't want to scare the kid," he grumbled. But I could hear the pride in his voice. Jay was trying to protect the people in there. "He's a good boy."

"Jay, open the door. It's me, I promise." Cautiously, the door was pulled open. Quil shouldered his way inside. Claire screamed his name and launched herself from the stroller to her wolf's arms. She looked unharmed, which I took as a good sign. Spencer was no where to be seen in the room, though. I looked back to see looking for her and opened my mouth to tell him that we'd find her when Jay lunged.

The fifteen-year-old's gangly arms closed around my waist. He clung to me, his face buried in my chest. With a feeling of gratitude burgeoning in my chest, I dropped one arm around him as well. I knew how much it took for him to trust. I had always appreciated the trust he'd placed in me, but this blatant affection was something deeper. "You're okay, now, Jay," I told him. With my other hand, I reached around and grasped the handle of the stroller. My three babes lay sleeping in their makeshift beds. They had clean diapers and didn't look harmed. "You did good, kid," I praised. "You took care of everyone and got us the notes. You did good." I felt his tear hit my chest and held back my own.

"I didn't take care of everyone," Jay whispered. "Spencer. She's in the other room." He paused, still holding onto me like I was the strength he needed to get through the day. "With a man. Every time she comes back, she looks worse, Seth."

I heard a crashing thunder as Collin ripped the door from its hinges and strode out. "What happened to Spencer?" I asked, my heart wanting back with Tucker.

"She told him that she was the one leaving notes. When Claire cried, she said it was her. She... She took all the beatings, Seth. She looks like...like she's dead inside, Seth. And it's all my fault," he added.

"It's going to be okay, Jay," I promised. "Spencer is, uh, stronger than we know." I just had to hope that the statement was true. Jay didn't say anything. "Jameson, look at me." He stood straight and away from me, his chin raised high. I couldn't help but feel pride in the man that he was becoming. "You're the only fifteen-year-old I know who could have gotten those notes to us. I know you don't understand what happened here, but you are the reason that our family is going to live. _You_ did it, Jay. And I'm so, so, _so_ proud of you." Another tear fell from his eyes. He didn't look like the hard man that he had for the year that I had known him. No, now he looked like a boy again. A teenager who was going to goof up and make my life difficult. A teenager who was going to have a childhood again. "Tucker is too."

"That she is," the icy voice whispered. Tucker hung limply from the hand wrapped around her throat. "At least we know where you got you're fighting spirit from, son," he added, tightening his grip.


	50. Chapter XLIX

**Author's Note: I know that it's been a few days. I have been so sick, it's been kind of ridiculous. Sorry! Remember that there are no chapter tomorrow. Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Chapter XLIX**

Seth was here. He had found us. And even better than all of that, he'd listen to me when I'd insisted that he go and take care of my kids before coming back to get me. Of course, he wasn't gone more than a few moments before the monster was back. I hadn't seen him in days. I understood now that he had someone else to help him watch us when he disappeared. God I wanted to get out of here. I just needed Seth to get the kids safe and then I would be able to breathe easy again.

The chill that assaulted me when the monster walked in was almost physical. The room that I was stuck in had been so warm, so comforting. "I see that you found a way out of those bounds," he muttered. "Unless you become Houdini in the days that I was gone, I would have to guess that your wolf has finally arrived." I narrowed my eyes, wishing that I could just lay down and go to sleep. "No need to give me an answer. That stench has practically permeated the place." He was laughing now, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "You'll have to come with me."

His hand latched to my arm with bruising force and hauled me to my feet. I gasped for air, feeling slightly dizzy from rising so quickly. He dragged my down the hallway. I hadn't seen it in so long; I almost welcomed the sight. I _did_ welcome the sight of Jay holding tight to Seth, sobbing into my boyfriend's chest. At least, I did until the frozen hand closed around my throat and black spots appeared before my eyes. "Tucker is too," I heard Seth whisper, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"That she is," the leech said. "At least we know where you got your fighting spit from, son," he added. His grip tightened infinitesimally. I inhaled the air that was suspended in my lungs to try and keep oxygen going to my brain. "Now, you must be the husband she keeps saying is going to come and protect her family," he said to Seth. The wolf in question shoved Jay, the kids, and Claire behind him. Quil came to stand beside him, the two of them forming a wall of man to go through to get to my family. Or, who was here, at least.

"Let her go," Seth ground out between clenched teeth. I noticed that Jay had pressed Claire and the kids behind him as well. While he wouldn't be any protection against a vampire, it was the thought that really counted. And the fact that he was just like Seth. "You wanted us. You have us. Let our families go and we'll stay here." I tried to shake my head at him, but the grip on my neck made it impossible. I couldn't protect these kids from him. If he killed Seth, I wouldn't know what to do.

"I don't think that I will. You see, I've been restraining my self this entire week. After I kill you, and your little friends, I fully intend to have my wicked way with your family," he laughed. Eat us. He was going to eat us. Seth and Quil both growled at the monster. "Your little _mate_ here spilled all the beans," he continued. To my pleasure, both men's faces remained stone masks, giving away nothing. "I have all the things that I need. The leaves, the bark, the sap. All I have left is your blood."

Silently, I begged Seth to figure out something. This parasite thought that he could kill the wolves with some wild bushes and trees. I don't know what I'd been expecting, but somehow, I'd hoped that Seth would hear it and think of some incredible plan to save us all. To get us out of there. "If you want my blood," Seth said sternly, "you let her go. She stays in here with the others."

"No demands that I let them go?" the leech laughed.

"Would it matter?" Seth retorted. "You would let them go and track them back down before they could get to La Push again."

What was he doing? I screamed at him silently, my brain begging for him to at least get the others out. Especially Spencer. She had done everything to keep this family safe. She deserved to get out of here. No, Seth was making mistakes. He was supposed to take care of my people, to get them all out. I hadn't been starved and deprived of water so that he could take this lying down. He had Collin and Quil. Three wolves against one vampire wasn't going to be much a fight. What was he -

Collin. He was waiting for Collin. There was one man lying unconscious off to the side. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. Collin had found Spencer. Which meant that he could see us all. "I guess that is a true enough statement," the parasite said, a smile in his voice. I started to sag a little more, my exhaustion driving me to the brink of insanity. "At least you are smart enough not to fight with me on it. It must be the Alpha gene in you, or whatever." Seth's eyes narrowed at that. "Well, come along now."

With a roar that rivaled anything I had ever heard before, a flash of half naked man launched himself through the air. A warm hand wrapped around my upper arm and jerked me into the room with the others. Jay's arms closed around me and brought me to the ground beside him and the stroller. Westyn's beautiful blue eyes looked down at me, full of laughter and innocence. "Mama," he proclaimed. My heart leapt. That would be one of my two dying wishes. I just wanted to hear one my kids call me _mama_ and kiss Seth again. One last time. Then I would be finished.

Leaning against the wall, I watched the three men grapple with the vampire. I doubted that they had ever fought one when they weren't phased as wolves. It was an interesting thought actually. Kind of made me glad that there were three of them. "Jay, stay here!" Seth growled at him, his arms locked underneath the vampire's armpits and behind his head. I could see a crack growing in the monster's neck. But Seth wouldn't risk exposing himself to Jay or putting that burden on my brother.

He waited for Jay to nod and then dragged the monster in the direction that I'd originally come from. It was gratifying to know that the leech was going to die in the room that he'd tried to desperately to kill me in. "Tucker," Jay whispered. "Are they going to kill him?" I nodded, knowing that it would be better to tell my brother the truth than to lie to him. I may not be able to tell him everything, but I could tell him this. "Good; that man deserves nothing but death."

"They won't kill him, Jay," I amended. I couldn't have my brother believing that he lived in the same house as a murder, no matter how justified. "The wolves. Remember when I told you that they're there to protect us?"  
"Let me get you something," Jay said when I slouched against the wall a little more. I shook my head. "You have to tell me what to do, Tucker. I don't know how to fix all this."

"You've been doing fine without me for a week now," I pointed out, but he just shook his head. "Fine. Get all of your guys' stuff together. I don't know how we're getting back home, but we're going there. Don't worry about that." He nodded and knelt down to get their things. "Give the kids a snack, whatever you have. And Claire. Let's try to keep everyone as happy as possible for as long as we can." He nodded against and reached in for yogurt melts and granola bars for them. He tried to hand one to me but I shoved it away. I had given up on leaning against the wall and finally laid myself on the ground, my head closer to the stroller.

"Are you sure that you're okay, Tucker?" Jay asked me. I nodded again and let my head loll to the side. I was drifting again, caught somewhere between reality and dreamland. I could hear what was going on around me, but I couldn't respond. My eyes were shut, my dreams happy and playing before my eyes. But the images in front of my eyes and the sounds and feelings weren't matching up. "Tucker, come on!" Jay was shouting, but in front of me, he was sitting at the dining room table with Seth, working on his homework.

"Tucker?" I heard Seth's voice now. He was smiling in front of me, his head cocked to the side. "Come on, Tuck. Guys, I need water!" he screamed.

"Grab a water bottle," Quil said now, but he was no where in my dream world. "Let's get them home."


	51. Chapter L

**Author's Note: Okay, all, here's today's chapter. I hope that you all enjoy! Please feel free to review and let me know what you guys are thinking. Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Chapter L:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

"Collin, you can't phase," Quil whispered. Collin's arms were shaking, moments away from becoming a wolf again. I hooked my arms underneath the leech's armpits and around his head. His arms were splayed out to his sides. Quil tried to pull Collin's hands away from this monster, though it took more force than usual. In my arms, the parasite started laughing. "What are you laughing at?" Quil snarled. "You do realize what you've done right? You've brought hell onto yourself. You shouldn't be laughing. You should be begging for our forgiveness." The man just kept chuckling.

I couldn't listen to his humor any more. I jerked his head to the side, relishing in the cracking sounds that came forth. He screamed and I almost smiled. Almost. "I'm part of the Volturi, you idiots," he panted. "You come after me, you'll be asking for another war." I met Quil's eyes over the top of his head. "My name is Demetri. I'm important to them. I'm their tracker. You kill me, they'll come after you." Quil shook his head now. We weren't going to be afraid. The Volturi were afraid of us, afraid of the Cullens.

"We've already won once before," Collin snarled. "If you don't htink that the Cullens will stand with us against your precious _Volturi, _then you're wrong. Not that it matters. Like Quil said, you brought this on yourself." We nodded in agreement with Collin, but the vampire laughed again. "What do you find funny? Maybe my friend here didn't make this clear enough: you're going to die."

"Not before you do," he retorted.

A sound from the room where our families sat reminded me of where we were. I shouldered the undead man down the hallway to the room where he'd been holding my girlfriend, my imprint. There was amusement written clear on his face. I noticed that something was bubbling on the small stove in the corner. The leech jerked in my arms and brought his hand to my forearm, digging into my flesh and letting blood drip. "You should have heard your _mate_," he snarled. "She told me the whole story: Taha Aki, Utlapa, the war, the potion." Tucker had protected everyone. She'd told a story. "It was the only that I would save her precious _family_," he sneered.

Our attention to his words made us stupid. He shoved himself away from the three of us and grabbed the small handle of the silver saucepan. "She even gave me the recipe to this potion to kill you all," he snarled. He tossed the liquid towards us. It burned for a moment, but nothing more. Our wounds quickly began to heal themselves. Collin gave a bark of laughter as he realized what Tucker had done.

Quil leapt forward and locked the man's arms behind his back. I nodded at Collin, who jumped forward himself and grabbed one arm from Quil. The two of them braced themselves on his shoulders to rip the arm away when told. "Unfortunately for you, immortality hasn't taught you not to be tricked by a good story teller." There was pride in my voice, I knew it. "My imprint lied to you. There is no way to kill us. She made up a story to get you comfortable." I gripped his face between my hands. "Boys," I said slowly, "rip his arms off." Quil gave one jerk. The stoney flesh cracked and shuddered and came away from his torso. Collin;s eyes were dark as he did the same, his rage not touched by the death of this monster. "You should never have touched our imprints. You have a quarrel with the wolves, you come after the wolves."

My knuckles turned white as I tightened the hold on his head and began tugging. His scream wasn't masked by anything, but it lasted only a moment or two before his head was gone from the rest of his body. "Put the head and arms in that wood burning stove there," I said. "We'll get the others out and burn this place down to nothing." Quil and Collin agreed with me, but Collin was quick to shove his dismantled limb at the two of us.

"I need to get back to Spencer. She's... She's pretty beat up." I nodded. I would be forever grateful to that girl. She was the reason that my kids were unharmed, the reason that Jay was able to get us messages. I turned to Quil and started handing him the pieces of this monster.

"We may as well rip him apart and put him in here," Quil said.

"His body won't fit in that tiny, little place," I replied. "Use those chains over there and chain his torso while we wait to get our families out." He nodded, though I could see his desire to rip the vampire to shreds. "I'm going to check on Collin before I get our kids out." Quil nodded turned his attention to trying to get the undead, unmoving body into the chair that I'd found my imprint in only a few moments ago. I shook my head, though, to try and find Collin.

Following his scent, I found him bent over her body. Her arms were dropped out around her, lifeless and dead. Collin pressed their foreheads together, cupping her cheek in his hand. "No, Spencer," he moaned. A single tear rolled down his cheek. The seen became too intimate for me to watch. I had never once, not in all the years that I'd known him, seen Collin cry. Watching his tear roll down his face and to his chin, where it hung precariously, was too much for me. "Spencer, please," he began.

I turned away, deciding that it was best to let him grieve his imprint on his own. I turned back to where I could hear my imprint's heart beating through the wall. She was still alive. Because Spencer had given her life, Tucker and my family was alive. I felt terrible, only because I could imagine what it would feel like if Tucker had died to protect everyone else. She _could_ have died. I rounded the corner to find Tucker lying against the concrete, her hands resting on her stomach.

She wasn't seeing me, that much was clear. I grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her lightly, but her head just dropped to the side. "Tucker?" Her eyes were open, but they weren't seeing anything. They were glazed over and distracted for sure. "Come on, Tuck," I begged her. Her eyelids slid shut, her chin smacking against her breast bone. "Guys, I need water," I shouted behind me. Quil shook his head, Claire resting on his hip.

"Grab a water bottle," he said. "Let's get them home." Jay rolled onto his feet and grabbed the handle of the stroller. "We'll have to walk to the nearest car rental," Quil added, preceding Jay out the small door.

"Tucker, you need to open your eyes again," I told her. "I don't know how to get through a day without you. I love you." Still, she didn't open her eyes. I sighed and tugged her up into my arms. I moved to the hallway, where Collin was walking through with Spencer in his arms. I could hear her heart beating slowly in her chest. "She's alive?" I asked, surprised. He nodded and started towards the stairs. "She's a strong one, you've got there," I said when we were both taking the stairs. "If it hadn't been for her, my family wouldn't have survived."

"She thinks she's weak," he replied. "Did you know that? From the time that we were little kids, she thought that she was the weakest, most pathetic excuse for a person." I shook my head. All imprints were the same. None of them knew just how amazing they were. How had we ever met these girls? What single force had made every single one of them? "I love her, Seth. I don't know what I'm going to do about it, but I know that I love her more than life itself."

I waited until we were at the top of the staircase to balance Tucker in one arm and clap Collin on the shoulder. "Welcome to the club. We do the dishes after barbecues," I said. It brought a dim smile to my Pack brother's face.

"You guys stay here," Quil said. "I forgot something downstairs." Collin and I nodded solemnly, knowing what he was going to do. It had to be done, though. We had to kill the vampire for good, Volturi be damned. "Then I'm going to head out to find us a car. You guys stay here, okay?" We nodded and agreed, mostly because neither Collin nor I was going to let our imprints go for the next few months. Especially not Collin. At least Tucker and I knew that we loved one another.

Quil went off and "did the deed," before he left us there to get a car. How we were all going to fit in one car for a drive from Utah to Washington was beyond me, but it was going to happen. We were going home.


	52. Chapter LI

**Author's Note: Hopefully, I'll be on time tomorrow. Prepare yourselves for some fluffiness. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter LI:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

How Spencer was alive, with all the marks, bruises, and blood, I didn't know. But we piled into the rental Excursion, though we didn't really fit. Collin and I both kept our girls in our laps, poor Jay smashed between the two of us. He acted like he was younger than he really was. He sleep resting against me, held his hands tight to his chest when he was awake. Any chance that he could look at me or talk to me, he would. I think he was trying to reassure himself that wasn't dreaming; that I'd really found them all.

We refused to stop, not even for the hospital. Every few hours, we would pull off the road. Claire and Jay would go to the bathroom. Jay and Quil would change the kids' diapers and then we would be on the road again. Quil wouldn't even stop for the night when he was far too tired to keep moving. I wondered what this was going to mean for his imprint. Claire's parents routinely trusted their daughter to his keeping. And this time... Well, this time, their little girl had been gone for a week.

We called ahead to Carlisle, telling him when we would be home. Collin wouldn't risk bringing Spencer in and having them ask too many question. At least his imprint woke up every once in a while. In the ten hours that we'd been driving, Tucker hadn't even moaned. She had no fever, even Jay checked for me. I regularly forced her mouth open and poured a few teaspoons of water down her parched throat, but she never once stirred. It was getting disconcerting. I wanted more than her red hair and creamy skin. I wanted to see those brilliant blue eyes flash icy fire at me when I made her angry. I wanted to see them dark to near blackness when she wanted me. I wanted all of her again.

Carlisle met us when we got to the house. Thankfully, he didn't offer to help us unload or anything like that. We stopped at Collin and Brady's first, letting Spencer and Collin out. "Seth, you did say that your imprint is unharmed, correct?" Carlisle asked, looking at Tucker through the car window. I wouldn't say that she was unharmed, but in comparison to Spencer, Tucker was exhausted and dehydrated. So I nodded and shifted Tucker in my arms again. "I will see you at your home as soon as I have concluded my check on Miss Kale." I nodded again.

I placed Tucker on the couch, brushing her hair from her face like I always did. "Let's get the other kids out of the car, Jay," I said. "They've been stuck in the car forever. We should let them play around." Jay nodded in agreement. I hefted two of the carseats in my hands and let Jay take the last one. I looked down at the couch and made sure that Tucker was there and alive before walking out the backdoor and into the yard. It was early morning and all of us were exhausted, but the kids weren't going to care. They had been kept on their regular schedule, which meant that they were ready to play.

I helped Jay set up the play area for the little monsters, weighing down the blankets with stones and surrounding the entire place with fences to keep them off the grass. "I've got them," Jay promised. "Just go and take care of Tucker." It was on the tip of my tongue to tease him about falling asleep, but one look in his exhausted eyes meant that I didn't care. I would be listening to them from in the house. They wouldn't disappear on me again. I wouldn't allow it. I walked away, though, watching the kids smile and laugh out on the yard. At least they were too young to understand what had happened to them. I walked back to Tucker's side, glad to see her still breathing. "You are trying to kill me, aren't you?" I asked her. Her chest just rose and fell with her lungs' expansion. "That's a yes."

I brought her upstairs, placing her on the bed. I opened all the windows, stepping up to the big bay window to look down at the kids playing happily. Wesley was holding onto the top of the gate, trying to find his way over the top. Jay was sprawled out in the center of the little circle that we had made for the kids. Lacey was crawling all over her uncle, slapping his chest. But he slept soundly. I smiled a little at them. "You know, if you would open your eyes, you would be able to see this," I told her.

I sat on the bed beside her, clasping her hand between mine and bringing it to my lap. "Come on, Tucker, you have to wake up," I said. I stroked my thumb of the back of her hand. "You're going to give a brain aneurysm. I can't do this on my own," I told her then. I thought I saw a twitch in her mouth, but I was sure that it was just wishful thinking. I wanted her to be alive so desperately, I was getting crazy. I guess awake was a better word than alive. She was alive. I had that to cling to. She was alive.

While I waited for Carlisle, I brought the three cribs into our bedroom and began lining them up on the wall. It wouldn't really matter, though, because those three little minions were going to sleep in my bed with me and my imprint. I made up Jay's bed on the chaise lounge. It wouldn't be as comfortable as his bed downstairs, but I needed to have him in this room. I needed to make sure that everyone was safe for a few nights. Then everything could go back to normal.

"Seth," Carlisle called quietly. He knocked on the bedroom door as well before I looked up. "Spencer is going to make it," he said. "I know how much you wolves worry about one another." I nodded. "On to the imprint of the hour." He crossed the room to where Tucker was lying. He opened her eyes with his fingers, lifting her lid and checking something. He pinched the skin on the back of her hand, but it didn't fall back smooth. "You've been trying to get water in her?" he asked. I nodded, but Carlisle only frowned a little more.

"Your imprint is severely dehydrated," he said after opening her mouth a little wider. "I suspect that she's starving and exhausted and thirsty. We'll need to set up a drip to get her rehydrated and stabilized before we can get solid food into her." I nodded, looking worriedly down at my girl. "There may be one minor complication." My heart sank. I just wanted her to be okay. She just needed to be okay. "Your body builds up urine in the kidneys, filtering out all the bad things in your body to get rid of them."

"I did graduate high school, Carlisle."

"Yes, well, there's one thing they don't teach about in high school biology. When your body becomes severely dehydrated, like your imprint, your body stops that function. All of those _bad things_ stay built up in your kidneys. If she survives this -"

"She will."

"She is at a high risk of contracting kidney diseases, or even having kidney failure," he explained. "We're going to do we all we can, Seth."

"We?" I asked, praying that there wouldn't need to be another vampire near my imprint.

"Sorry; you spend enough years working as a surgeon and the phraseology doesn't leave you." At least the tension was momentarily broken. "I will do all I can for your imprint, but we have no guarantees until we know that she's out of the woods," he said, slipping effortlessly back into his role as doctor instead of friend. I nodded again. "If you want to gather your family while I get her set up, Seth, that would be okay," he said then.

"I don't think I can do that," I admitted. "We've been through enough the last couple of days. I know that you're here to help, but I can't leave her with another vampire." He nodded again. I settled on the chaise lounge that I had set up for Jay. Tucker didn't moan or move or cry. No; she was still and silent as the dead. It struck me to the core of my heart.

"There we go," Carlisle announced. "She's all put together. Give her a few days. Let me know how she's doing. If she hasn't opened her eyes day after tomorrow, give me a call." I nodded, glancing back at Tucker. I walked Carlisle out, thanking him again and again. When the door was shut and locked, I headed out back to relieve Jay.

"How's Tuck?" he asked when I roused him.

"She's going to be okay," I promised, though I wasn't quite sure now that I'd spoken to Carlisle. "Go on upstairs to the chaise, Jay."

"Thank God," he muttered. "I was hoping you weren't going to make me sleep downstairs all by myself." I smiled at him.

"Go get some rest."

"Hey Seth," he called from the stairs. I rushed into the house to make sure everything was okay. "Thank you for coming after us."

I knew that it was unmanly and stupid, but I still wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "I'll always be here for you, Jay. Always and forever."

* * *

**For those who were trying to read earlier, I posted the wrong chapter. My bad. Sorry about that. **


	53. Chapter LII

**Author's Note: Hey all, here's the deal. Yesterday, my apartment window was smashed in with a brick. (You got to love college towns, right?) Anyways, I had to get stitches and now I'm waiting for my apartment to be repaired. That being said, today there will be an update to ****_Chains Around Her Heart_**** and ****_Pretending,_**** but not to ****_Chivalry is Dead _****since it was posted yesterday. Sorry, but I'm going to get all caught up. Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Chapter LII:****_ Seth's Point of View_**

I bathed the kids and got them ready for bed, bringing them into the bedroom. Jay was snoring louder than I did, sprawled out over the chaise lounge in what looked like the most uncomfortable position. Every time that I got him in a better position, though, he sprawled himself back out again. I sat on the empty side of the bed after I had my whole family in my bedroom and just breathed. I could smell them all, every single one of them. I waited until I heard Wesley's slumbering snores to fetch my infants.

Tucker wasn't going to move all night. She didn't have the energy. I placed Westyn closest to her, since he was the sound sleeper of our group and rarely moved at night. I snuggled Wesley next to his brother and finally tucked Lacey into my side. I tossed one long limb over the three of them, grasping Tucker's cold, dry hand and bringing it over the kids as much as I could. I could hear five solid heartbeats, five thumps sounding evenly. It was like listening to the sweetest drum solo ever heard. They were all home. Safe.

In the coming days, I came to appreciate my sister and mother more than I ever had before. They were by far the best people that I had ever met. During the day, one of them stayed with my imprint so that I could take care of the kids. Or one of them helped Jay entertain the minions so that I could get back to Tucker and take care of her. Although I tried to relieve Jay of that duty as much as I could. He was the only reason that everyone had survived, after all. Most of the time, Leah watched the kids.

Quil was struggling to convince Claire's parents that they should let him around her again. As we had all assumed, they were blaming Quil for her week-long disappearance and frightened state. The guys were trying to help him, trying to talk to her parents. Collin was with Spencer non-stop. Patrols were being run exclusively by Brady, but only at night since Jake figured we were all around if someone showed up during the day. Brady grumbled nonstop about being the only wolf without an imprint, but otherwise ran without complaint.

I called Carlisle two days after arriving home, like he'd told me to. Tuck still hadn't opened her eyes. Her skin was looking better. Her eyes weren't as sunken in to her school. But other than _looking_ better, there had been no change in her. Carlisle came and looked at her, inspecting her inch by inch. "I don't know why she's not waking up," Carlisle admitted. "But I would tell you that it is more than likely _not _physical. I would assume that her psyche is trying to protect her." I nodded, accepting the words and wishing that I could change them at the same time.

Tucker stayed asleep. Someone was with her round the clock. At night, we slept with the kids between us. I wanted to hold her against me and make sure that she slept in my arms through the night. But the two of us cuddling the kids was almost as sweet as it just being the two of us. We had been home for almost five days when she her hand started twitching on the counterpane. Her dreams became a little more active. She was healing, getting a little bit better every single night.

Carlisle had to come and put a feeding tube down her nose and throat to give her nutrients. Every day was another that I spent waiting for her to get up again. Every night was another I spent reliving the weekend that we'd been planing to spend together before everything went to hell. After a week of doing nothing but waiting and hoping for the best, Leah came to sit with me while Mom and ate got all the kids their lunch. "We need to talk," she said quietly. I knew that she was going to come down on me eventually. "I know that you don't want to hear it," she began.

"Then why are we having this conversation?" I asked, looking at Tucker's chest rise and fall with her steady breath.

"Because I'm your older sister and it's my job to tell you when you're wrong," she said. "You should let us take the kids for the night; let Jay go somewhere for the night." I shook my head immediately. I wasn't letting those kids out of my house again, not until they needed to go to school again. "Seth you're not able to focus all your attention on your imprint because you're worrying about the kids downstairs. She's not going to get any better if you keep trying to split up your time."

"If those kids leave this house, I'm going to be more worried than I would be if you would just leave them here," I retorted.

"If they don't, you're going to hurt them," Leah shouted. "If you teach them that outside is bad, they're going to be afraid of leaving the house. You don't want to do that to them, Seth. Your job as a parent isn't always to hold them close, but sometimes to let them go. To have a little faith that they'll be okay. Nothing is going to happen to them with the Pack." I shook my head at her. "You're worried about them and I get it. Anyone with a kid gets it. But you want them to be successful human beings. They won't be if you're sheltering them."

"They were with the Pack when they got taken," I retorted, but even I knew that it was a feeble argument.

"They weren't," Leah retorted. "Jay was walking home by himself. Tucker was at the store with the kids by herself. They weren't with the other people. You can't be mad. Even the vampire said that he waited for them to be alone." She was right, of course. And yet, the thought of leaving the kids, of not having them right here with me, hurt. "Let the little ones come home with me. Nate and I will take care of them. Jay needs to go out and be a teenager. Send him to Paul's for a night. Let him hang out with Ariana and her boyfriend." I shook my head.

"Seth," Mom called. I whirled around to find her resting one of my kids on her hip. "Our jobs as parents is to know when to hold our kids close and when to give them a little push. They have to fly away at some point. You can't hold them all, son; not even with your wingspan."

They were right, of course. I couldn't hold my kids to my chest forever. And the last thing that I wanted was for them to fear the world for the rest of their lives. So, I nodded and agreed that Leah could take the triplets. Although I did say that I would _talk_ to Jay. I wasn't going to force the boy to leave his it came time for Leah to leave, however, Jay had a minor meltdown. "You can't let them leave; what if he comes back."

"He's not coming back, Jay. I promise you," I told him. "Now, if you want to go to Paul's and hang out with your friends, then I want you to go, Jay."

"What about Tucker?"

"I'm not going to leave her," I promised him. "I think that if she knows that you guys were okay, that you guys were moving on with your days _normally_, she wouldn't have as much of a problem with waking up. She just has to wake up, Jameson." He sighed heavily. "You can't be here to watch her all the time, Jay. That's my job. You're job is to be a teenager."

He nodded, though I could see that he wasn't happy about it. I listened as he shoved a few days worth of clothes into his duffle bag, called for Leah to wait for him, and headed out. I kissed my mother goodbye, thanked my sister for helping me, and locked the door. I checked the downstairs to make sure that everything was locked up good and tight before going back to my imprint. Her chest rose and fell evenly, nothing different from what it had for days now. "You are killing me, Tucker," I muttered, curling into the bed beside her.

Her coughing fit began suddenly, mumbled words trying to make it passed the tube in her throat. "Tuck?" I called. "Tuck, can you hear me?" She nodded and reached out to me. "Okay, hold on, babe. I'm going to get the feeding tube out okay? I've never done it before, but Carlisle taught me. I'm going to take it out." She nodded again.

It took me a few seconds to get my trembling to stop and negotiate the tube. She sighed when it was gone. "Seth," she whispered.


	54. Chapter LIII

**Author's Note: Okay, all! I know it's been a weird couple of days. For those who weren't aware, I didn't have internet in my apartment complex over the weekend which made it difficult (impossible) to update. That being said, if I ever just disappear for more than a day, please check my profile. I will always let you guys know what's going on up there. For those who read ****_Chains Around Her Heart_****, there will be no update today while I get my bearings and straighten things out. Sorry about that, but I hope you all enjoy reading today's chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter LIII**

The tube that had been pressed against the walls of my throat was removed. I took in the sweet air that filling my lungs. I tried to say Seth's name, to breathe the sigh of utter relief that came with it, but it only caused my lungs to constrict and coughs to erupt again. "Don't try so hard, babe," he breathed. He puffed hot air over my face. I was almost melting against him, my bones turning to mud. "You haven't been awake in a week or more. Carlisle's been using the IV to help you get rehydrated. Your throat is probably really dry."

There was a shifting around the bed, the springs creaking when his weight was removed and then groaning when he sat back down. "Don't try to drink a lot. You'll probably make yourself sick. But here's some Gatorade. Sip slowly," he said, pressing the end of a plastic straw in my mouth. I did as he asked, sipping slowly but with enough force to get some liquid down my throat. "You had me scared for a while there," he said, tucking the wisps of hair behind my ear. "I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up."

"Where are the kids?" I asked, coughing only at the end. Seth pulled the plastic bottle and straw away from my mouth, leaning over me to put it on my nightstand. I reveled in the feel of his heat pressed against me for a moment.

"I sent the kids to Leah's tonight," he said. "Jay went to Paul's to hang out with Ari and Zach at the house."

I tried to push myself upright, but couldn't quite get it. "Why? The vampires, Seth. They were gone last time," I tried, but I'm sure that none of it made sense.

"I know what you're thinking, Tuck," he was quick to say. His hand drew soothing patterns on my waist, his thumb brushing against my ribs. "I had the same fears about letting the kids leave again. But nothing is going to happen to them," he promised. "For starters, the entire Pack is on high alert since you guys were taken. They won't anything that resembles a vampire near our families. Secondly, Leah pointed out to me that you guys were alone, without the Pack around you, when you were taken. It won't happen again, Tucker. I promise."

I thought cautiously over his words. It was true that Jay had been walking home by himself. And I had been in the store alone. But... But Jay was still on the reservation when the monster had taken him. "Tuck, I know that look. I promise you that nothing will happen to them. I swear on my life. I love those kids just as much as you do. I would never let them out of my sight if I thought that the guys wouldn't be able to protect them." I nodded. He did love my kids. _Our_ kids. He loved them unreservedly. He did everything he could to protect them. He'd even come after us. "You weren't waking up, Tucker. I couldn't keep putting them through that. Jay was so worried about you waking up, he'd practically given up his free time. If he wasn't sleeping or watching the kids, he was trying to make you wake up. And the kids? I mean, they didn't understand, babe. They would wake up and smack at your chest, calling for their mama and you weren't answering. I couldn't give them the normality that they were needing until I woke you up again."

"I'm awake now," I whispered. "Can I have my kids back?" He chuckled and brushed his knuckles over my cheek "I'm serious," I hacked.

"I know you are," he whispered. "You're the only person I know who would wake up from a near death experience and demand more work."

"I want to know that they're okay, Seth. I trust you; I do."

"But you need to see it for yourself," he finished for me. I nodded. "Okay, I'll call Leah and have her bring the triplets back. Then I'll text Jay and see if he wants to come back." He laughed at that, the deep chuckle reminding me that I was actually safe again.

He did as he promised that he would and sat on the bed with me. We talked about nothing, actively avoiding the subject of what had happened while I was gone. I was drifting in and out of consciousness, still tired but no where near as exhausted as I had been, when footfalls pounded up the stairs. I swear the walls were shaking. "Tucker!" Jay shouted. He launched his gangly, fifteen-year-old body between me and Seth. He wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his face on my shoulder. "You're okay."

I smiled down at him and brushed his hair off his face like I remembered my mother doing when I was little. "I think it's time for a haircut," I muttered, echoing her words as well. "When you were little, you used to think it was normal to have long hair, did you know that?" I asked him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, still hugging me close.

"After Dad died, you were surrounded by girls with long hair. There was this one time when you were in the second grade that you wouldn't let Mama cut your hair. You went to school the next day and some boy teased you about having hair like a girl's," I explained.

"I remember that," he chuckled.

"I come bearing children!" Leah shouted. She proceeded Nate into the room, hefting a hearty looking Lacey on her hip. My little girl's eyes were drooping with her tiredness. It dawned on me then that it was late. There was no sun shining in the sky. There was silver moonlight filtering in through our windows, but not much. Nate was wrestling with the boys in his own arms. "But Luke is asleep in his stroller downstairs, so if you'll excuse us, we're going to run." She plopped Lacey unceremoniously on the bed beside Seth, who was accepting the boys from Nate.

At almost eleven months old, I was amazed at how much the kids had changed. Lacey's hair had grown thick and curly, dipping long around her neck and shoulder. The boys had their own curls that spiraled tight to their heads. All of them had their mother's eyes, bright and innocent smiles that made me miss my sister more than I wanted to admit. Try as I might, I could see pieces of David in each of them. The thought made me sad. I wanted David to have nothing to do with them.

The words had no more run through my mind than Westyn slapped his hands on Seth's cheeks. "Dada," he proclaimed. Seth smiled and smoothed his hand over the back of the boy's head. Wesley let out a great yawn and pillowed himself on Seth's lap. Lacey crawled over Jay's back and found me. She looked up at Jay with her drowsy eyes and yawned as well. My brother sat up to accommodate the little monster, scooting away from me.

Lacey buried her face between my breast and yawned. Her little pink hand came up to rest by my collarbone, a smile coming over her face. She was my little girl, even if I hadn't intended for it to be that way. The boys both had some connection to Seth; something that I didn't understand. And little Lacey had him wrapped around her finger for sure. "Jay, I think we're all ready to go back to bed," Seth said. I reached up with one hand to brush the curls off of Lacey's face. "You can sleep up here if you want." Jay nodded.

He rolled towards the foot of the bed, landing with a loud think. My heart startled in my chest, fear for my brother's safety coursing through me. "That was graceful," Seth complimented. He rolled a slumbering Wesley and a drowsy Westyn towards me. "Jay sleeps on the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed when he sleeps in here," he explained. "I'm pretty sure you've been out cold every time he's done it," he added.

"Yeah, well if she could do us a favor and stop almost dying, she would know," Jay grumbled, though the sound was garbled by his pillow. I smiled as I realized that I had my family together, and safe.

Seth tucked me and the three babies under some blankets. He tossed another afghan over Jay. I thought that I saw him scrub at my brother's dark hair, but I couldn't be sure. "I'll have Carlisle come over tomorrow to take your IV out," he promised, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead. I looked down to see all three babies sleeping peacefully. Wesley had his hand up over his face. Westyn lay on his back with his arm tossed over his head, just like Seth would. "I think that this is the easiest they've ever gone to bed," Seth added, lifting to lightweight blanket he'd put over the bottom three and scooting in. Westyn scrubbed his cheek with his hand, a motion I'm sure I would see him do for the rest of his life. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's happy you're okay," he added, looking down at where Lacey was lying.


	55. Chapter LIV

**Author's Note: I know it's been a day. I'm sorry. Midterms week has hit and it's wonderfully stressful. I hope you all forgive me and enjoy the chapter! Love & Thanks!**

* * *

**Chapter LIV**

I was happy. My life was blessedly simple. The day after I woke up, Carlisle came and removed his "hardware" he'd placed in me. Seth thanked him profusely for all of his help, but I could tell that he was just as uncomfortable with a vampire touching me as I was. It was nothing personal against Carlisle; it was just the natural instinct that told me that cold hands meant no food, little water, and the harm of my family. Consciously, I knew that it was stupid. The rest of me, however, wasn't quite so sure about that.

Seth slid into bed beside me a few days after I'd woken up. I was taking it slow, taking my time to get all of my strength back. I was slowly starting the day's regular chores again. Seth didn't go back to work, though. He claimed that he wanted time off to enjoy his family, but I think that he was worried that if I was home alone, I would try to take care of the kids by myself. He couldn't have that. "I have a question for you," he said. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I probably have an answer, and chances are that the answer is no, but I'm not planning on giving it to you anyways," I teased. He rolled his eyes as he always did. "Are the kids all tucked into bed?" I was easily tired after a few hours work and, unfortunately, it meant that I was in bed before the kids lately. Jay went to be early as well, though Seth told me not to question why a _teenage boy_ wanted an hour of alone time in his bedroom. "Tomorrow, I'm going to try and stay up long enough to put them to bed."

"That's what you said yesterday," he laughed. "None of them blame you for not being able to put them to bed right now, babe. We're all just happy that you're awake again. Have I mentioned that you gave us all quite the scare?" I rolled my eyes and let him come over me. He rested his weight on his forearms and leaned over me, every hard line of his sculpted chest pressed against me. "I missed you," he said. I smiled, my lips stretching close to the skin of his chin. He leaned down to kiss me, but quickly pulled away.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, laughter coloring my voice. He shook his head and leaned in again. His lips touched mine, electric shockwaves coursing through me line a shock. I allowed myself to lose my mind in passion for a moment or two, my arms coming up to twine around his neck. My hips lifted of their own accord, pressing against him as much as I could. He moaned into my mouth, seeming to lose himself just as much as I was.

Then, in a flash, he was gone. I opened my eyes and saw him sitting against the footboard, as far from me as he could manage. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice a bit more flustered than I would have liked. Seth's own chest was heaving a mile a minute, as if he too couldn't catch his breath. His hands were shaking, but I had seen him when he was about to phase and this was _nothing_ like that. "Seth, are you doing okay over there?" I asked on a breathy laugh.

"I'm fine," he promised, though his voice indicated otherwise. "I didn't mean to lose it like that. I was just kissing you goodnight. I didn't mean to get out of hand," he explained. I narrowed my eyes, looking up at him with confusion and slight irritation. "You've only just started recovering, Tuck." He brought himself back across the bed to where I was sitting and took me back in his arms. "I think that you need more rest before you, uh, _exert_ yourself too much." I couldn't stifle my giggle at his words.

"If I wanted to stop, don't you think that I'm stubborn enough to tell you to stop?" I asked him. He nodded his head and collapsed down on me. His head fell against the hollow just below my ribcage, his ear pressed into my flesh. "I liked what we were doing, Seth. I want to do more, but I know that I am far too tired to actually do anything tonight." He pressed me onto my back once more, leaning over me like he had before. "I would like to go back to kissing you, if that's all right with you," I said, bringing one hand up to the strong column of his neck. My thumb grazed his jawline, the muscle jumping and twitching there.

His mouth found mine, eager and hungry. He lowered his weight onto me a little more, his heaviness pressed against all of me, shoving me down into the bed. I tangled my hands in the soft, cropped mane of his hair. I allowed his mouth to invade mine, allowed us this intimacy because I was far too exhausted for much more. I could feel the familiar fire burning in the pit of my stomach, the desire for Seth bubbling up deep inside me. But beside it was the exhaustion, the desire to curl up against him and allow myself a few hours of sleep.

As if he'd read my mind, Seth rolled us so that he was on his back. My legs fell open, making me straddle his hips. He kissed me softly for a few more minutes, his hand cupping my cheek in his palm. Ultimately, he pulled away though. He peppered a few kissed over the freckles on the bridge of my nose and up to my forehead before leaning back. He neatly rearranged me, opening his legs a little and bringing mine together so that I was lying like a plank along his body. "That's enough for tonight," he declared.

I dreamed that night. I dreamed of peace and happiness. I dreamed of little dark haired children that resembled Seth instead of me. I dreamed of my little niece going on her first date. I dreamed of her forever calling Seth _daddy_ and never having to know that her real father was a terrible human being. I dreamed of my life being simple. I dreamed of there being no problems any more. Seth's snores came rumbling up, vibrating through my chest. He was the only man who would ever give me the things that I was dreaming about.

The next morning, I woke up to find that everything was perfectly normal. Seth was still asleep, his beautifully tan face peaceful and serene. He was snoring, the upper corner of his lip twitching ever so slightly with each rise and fall of his chest. I smiled at his countenance; he was clearing happy in his dream world. His cheeks were a rosy red, like he was warm from whatever he was thinking about. Or embarrassed. I scrubbed my cheek against shoulder, causing him to shift underneath me. And then I realized, or rather_ felt_, what his dream was about. I giggled.

Seth's eyes popped open and looked up at me. "Good morning," I greeted, still just managing to hold my mirth in check. I wiggled a little, causing him to groan underneath me. "It seems like you're feeling, uh, _fresh_ this morning," I teased. He grunted again, his arms coming up to trap me to his chest, his fingers threading together against the small of my back. "We should get up and get the kids out of bed before they start screaming their little heads off. There's a lot to do today, remember?" I informed him, still loving his clear desperation.

"I am well aware," he told me. "You don't have to remind me that I'm supposed to be getting out of this bed when all I want to do is send the kids to my sister's the day and trap you here in this bed."

"I did _not_ need to hear that," Jay said from the door way. "I came up here to tell you that I made coffee, not to be scarred for the rest of my life," he added. I laughed, burying my face in Seth's bare chest once again, barely containing my giggles this time.

"Is your goal to ruin my fun every time that we start?" Seth asked him, rolling us so that I was pinned underneath him.

"You're parents, remember?" Jay said rather rudely. "You're not supposed to have a _sex life_." He shuttered, like the thought of his sister having sex would actually make him cringe. "There is coffee downstairs. Westyn's already awake. Lacey's still out cold. And Seth?" he said, as he was backing out to leave. "Could you _not_ have sex with my sister while there's a chance that I could still be awake? Much obliged."

Seth growled and threw the pillow towards the door. "We should probably get up," I said.

"Aren't you glad to be back?" he asked in response.


	56. Chapter LV

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that it's been so bad this week. Midterms suck, but they are finished. Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Chapter LV**

I joined Seth downstairs after a few minutes of malinger in bed. Westyn was smiling and laughing alongside Wesley, the two of them looking at a sobbing Lacey. Seth kneeled down and took the little girl into his arms. She had that man wrapped tight around her little itty bitty finger. It was funny to watch, actually. I scooped Wesley up into my arms and touched my forehead to his. "Are you terrorizing your sister already, little dude?" I asked him. He grinned at me and gave a bubbling laugh that made me chuckle too. "Is she just being a big whiner?" I asked him.

Seth snuggled his little girl closer to his neck and glared at me over her head. "Do not downplay her pain," he said. There were still fat tears rolling down her cheeks, but she was grinning from ear to ear in her daddy's arms. "She was hurt. And I hardly think you should be encouraging her brothers' torture of her," he declared. He blew a raspberry against her cheek, erasing the lines of her sadness with her laughter. "It's not right for those boys to hurt you, huh baby?" he cooed to her.

"Oh please," I waved a hand at him, "if she's anything like her other, she'll be ruthless and have the biggest temper you've ever seen," I muttered, reaching out to touch Lacey's nose. She laughed at me as well. "Just like your mother, aren't you? You little vixen. You just wait until she starts dating, Seth. You'll see." He growled, startling the baby in his arms. I just laughed and placed Wesley on the ground, taking his and his brother's hand to walk to the kitchen. "She'll have the boys eating out of the palm of her hand instantly."

"She will _not_," Seth said vehemently, cradling the child to his chest while I was securing the others in their highchairs. "She will never date, have no interest in boys, and most certainly will not be kissed," he informed me. "You will not, my pretty little girl," he told her then. "You will stay here and live in this house with your mommy and I for the rest of your life." I allowed myself the laughter that came with that though. "What are you laughing at?" he demanded. "I am being perfectly serious over here. My pretty little girl will have no reason to date."

"And she'll live with us forever. I mean, except on the days that you send her away so that you can get a little, right?" I asked viciously. "God forbid she has dreams of going to school out of state." I turned to gather their breakfasts, glad that I had already sliced fruits for them to eat. "The very last thing that this family needs is a forbidden romance because _you_ can't stand the idea of your little girl growing up." I reached up and pat his cheek as he passed me by, his face low as he stooped to drag some milk from the fridge.

"You say that like she actually has to grow up at some point," he protested, pulling three sippy-cups down from the cupboard. "She's not going to grow up anytime soon. It will only drive her daddy insane," he added.

"Okay, _daddy_," I teased. "Lacey is going to have a hard enough time dating with you, Jay, Westyn, _and_ Wesley. At least don't ruin her life by _banning_ her from it completely. If someone had done that to me, I would never have met you." He grumbled something about my father under his breath.

"You've forgotten about her uncles," Seth added. "There's a pact among the Pack."

"Fancy that," I muttered.

"Any of our daughters' dates are subject to Pack approval before any outing," he explained. "So not only does little Lacey have me and her brothers, she has Jake, Nate, Paul, Jared, Embry, Quil, Sam, Collin and Brady." He gave a laugh like that of a maniacal villain in a movie. All three kids looked up at the sound, one that they didn't recognize coming from their daddy. I couldn't help but feel that Lacey should be especially concerned.

"I know the names of all your brothers," I told him. "And I hardly think that all of that is necessary. Lacey will be safe and protected with just you and Jay. You hardly need to add the guys into the mix." I pulled two mugs down as well and filled them to the brim with coffee. "Besides, none of this really matters. We've got at least fifteen years until Lacey starts dating." He finally gave an audible exasperated groan, the sound practically echoing in the silence of the kids eating. I turned to look at the tortured expression.

"Fifteen years is far too soon," he declared. "She'll have to wait at least thirty." He popped himself up on the counter as he was prone to doing and gripped his mug, tipping the black brew into his mouth. "Otherwise, I'll be going prematurely grey and the three of them will drive me to an early grave." I did laugh at that. I came to stand in front of him, dropping my hands to his knees and spread them apart, coming to stand between his now open thighs. I smiled up at him, thinking the position remarkably similar to our first kiss.

I leaned forward until I could rest my elbows and forearms along his thighs. I rested my hands on his hips and looked up at him bemusedly. "You are not going anywhere, Seth Clearwater. I have a life that I would like to live to its fullest. And I fully intend to live that life out with you," I added. He placed his coffee cup beside him and exchanged it for a hold on my face. I stood from my towering position and kissed him, feeling his hands tangle themselves in my hair. He wouldn't let go of me, either.

"Come on!" Jay shouted, making me jump. Seth refused to let go of me. "I already had to deal with it this morning. Can't I catch a break?" he demanded, reaching around us to grab his own coffee mug. "Can I drink this?" he asked, holding the coffee pot in front of him as if it were poisoned. "Or did you two manage to taint this to?" Seth lifted me enough from my stance to turn me in his arms and rest his chin on the top of my hair, his annoyance mixing with his laughter.

"In the average family, the children grow up knowing that this sort of thing happens," he said, pulling me closer so that the edges of the countertop dug into my skin. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would pretend like that's how you grew up." I narrowed my eyes in laughter. Seth finally released me, but only because the kids were getting rowdy as they finished their foods.

"Unfortunately, we're not an average family," Jay retorted.

"But we are a family," Seth said with a hint of pride in his voice. "One day you'll get a girlfriend. I only hope that Wesley and Westyn are there to make it miserable for you," he said. I laughed at him. "I'm heading upstairs to shower. I'll be back down so we can start working on bed stuff for the minions, Jay." He kissed my cheek and Lacey's forehead, rustling the boys' hair as he passed up by. "Better yet, Jay, I hope_ she_ has an annoying little brother. The cycle just has to continue," he amended as he made his way to the stairs. I laughed to myself and let my head fall down to my chest to cover the sounds.

"What are you guys planning to work on?" I asked Jay, gathering the makings of french toast for our breakfast.

"Seth wants to make some bigger cradles for the little ones. He said that he has some plans to make these transforming beds or something. That way, we won't have to make new beds in two years when they finally grow too big again. And then there was something about adding on some rooms to the upstairs or something," he explained. I furrowed my brow, thinking through his words. What would Seth want to add rooms to the upstairs for? "I think I'll shower," he added. "Since breakfast isn't finished." I rolled my eyes at his impatience. "It would've been finished if you weren't fooling around," he called from the area beside his bathroom.

"I was not fooling around," I snarled. "I'm not an old lady, either. I am allowed to have a life!" I continued cooking, giving the kids little bits of food to keep them happy while I worked. I was almost finished when a heavy knock sounded from the front door. "Coming!" I shouted, pulling the piece of bread from the pan and turning it off. I walked towards the front door, brushing my hands off on my shorts while I could. I pulled the door open and found a woman, older with greying hair around her temples and beginning to streak through her hair. She looked prim and proper, if not just a little thin. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"I'm Jasmine DeWitt," she said.


	57. Chapter LVI

**Author's Note: I beg all of your forgiveness! I know that this week has been insanity, but life hasn't been the easiest on me this semester. This year in general has just sucked. Anyways, ignore my little blurb and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter LVI**

Everything in me told me to scream for Seth and command Jay to get the kids out of the house. My very soul screamed for me to protect them. But I couldn't just let my heart override me on this. My head told me that David was in jail; that there was no way that he could get my family. So I took a deep breath, holding onto the door for support and praying that the kids would be quiet in the other room. "I don't know who you are," I stated honestly, afraid to admit that I recognized the name.

"I know you don't. But you know my nephew." I glared at her now. "At least, I'm assuming you do. Otherwise, I have tracked the wrong Tucker Mills. There aren't many that are female," she said. I pursed my lips, silently willing Seth to come down the stairs. "I just want to talk to you. My sister-in-law would have wanted me to come here, to see her grandchildren." I could feel the twitch in my jaw, the fear turning to anger and building inside me. "I just want to talk. I promise. Then you kick me out."

"You'll have to wait here for a minute," I said finally, deciding that I would have to let her in and hear her out, but not before I was sure that the kids had someone to watch over them. She nodded without hesitation. I gave a few points in her column begrudgingly. I shut the door on her face, making sure to lock both our locks. I felt rude but unwilling to have danger around my kids. I ran into the kitchen, making sure that the kids were happily eating before sprinting up the stairs and into the bathroom.

"Jesus, Tucker, I'm showering!" Seth shouted through the glass pane of our shower. He turned to look at me, covering up immediately. "You are trying to take away my modesty and I really don't appreciate it. Besides, with our luck your brother will come upstairs and catch us," he added, a smile flashing over his lips.

"Seth, you need to get out of the shower." His eyes flashed to mine again, this time seeing the frantic fear there. "I don't have time to explain everything right now. But I need you to come downstairs and sit with the kids, okay? Okay. Glad we've had this talk."

The water was shut off before I was out of the bathroom. And before I could leave the room, Seth had wrapped himself from the waist down in toweling and grabbed hold of my elbow, spinning me back around. "Tucker, you're not making any sense. What happened? What's going on?" he asked. I shook my head, knowing that I needed to get downstairs and to my kids before the woman decided to find another way into the house. "Okay, how about you explain when we're downstairs. How's that?" I nodded eagerly.

I found myself swept up into his arms, cradled tight to his chest. I remembered being in our room, but when I opened my eyes after I felt a sincere rush of air, we were already downstairs. "There's a woman here," I said breathlessly. "She says that she's David's aunt. She swears that she only wants to talk..."

"But you don't believe her," he countered. I couldn't give him an answer to that. I wasn't sure what I believed. I just knew that the principle of better safe than sorry had been keeping me and these children alive. "Jay can stay here."

"No," I practically shouted. "Jay will only freak out about all of this and I don't want to worry the kid. You stay here and I'll go talk to her." He began shaking his head because he didn't want me to go in another room where he couldn't protect me if things started to go south. But I couldn't let him. "I promise that I'll scream if something comes up, Seth. But right now, the kids need you more than I do." I didn't give him the chance to protest again, either. I kissed his cheek swiftly and left the room.

With a deep breath to steady myself, I grabbed a hold of the doorknob and pulled it open. "You'll have to forgive me," I said quietly. "We're a little jumpy around these parts."

"If you have any connected to my nephew, I completely understand," she replied. I stepped back and gestured inside, letting her walk inside when all I wanted to do was shove her outside again. "It took me a while to find you," she said. I stepped in front of her and led her to the living room, sitting stiffly on the couch. "You have a lovely home," she said, gesturing around. I looked at the grey carpeting, the white walls, the pictures that were framed. Any of our furniture Seth had made. Our house was a showpiece for all of his work. And it was our home. This was the place that I was always meant to be.

"Thank you," I said politely. "I don't mean to be rude, but I have no idea who you are. And if you know anything about your nephew, you'll understand why the name _DeWitt_ doesn't bode well in this house," I added. She nodded, a light of understand in her eyes.

"My nephew is a troubled boy. He always has been," she said slowly. "I suppose I should tell you a little about me, first." She looked to me for some kind of affirmation, but the words I was going to say died in my throat when he eyes looked at some point over my head and went wide with fear. Seth. It had to be Seth. He was tall and muscular. I suppose that if he walked up on me when I didn't know him, I would freak out too.

"Jasmine, this is my, uh -" I didn't know what to say. With the vampire, I had claimed Seth as my husband, but in truth, I had no such hold on him.

"Who are you and how can we help you?" Seth asked rudely.

"Seth!" I reprimanded. "I think it would be best if you waited in the other room," I suggested, seeing his anger cause his limbs to start trembling. "At least for the moment." He glared at me, telling me that he wasn't intending on listening. But I gave it back to him in equal measure, daring him to defy me. "Maybe you could get some coffee for our guest, Seth." He nodded begrudgingly and turned to leave the room. "You'll have to excuse my, uh, husband. He's severely overprotective."

"You look so young to have a husband," she replied.

"I also look too young to be the legal guardian of four children, yet here I am," I retorted. She cast her eyes downward. "I don't mean to be rude or to be forward, ma'am, but I have no idea who you are and I don't want you near my children."

"In your situation, I wouldn't want me here either." She sighed and looked at me, the vulnerability in her eyes almost eerie. "David's mother was my best friend. We'd been inseparable since we were children. When she fell in love with my brother, the both of us were ecstatic. She was really going to be my sister. Our dreams were finally going to come true." She smiled sadly. "My brother died young, in a car accident and David began to change. My nephew wasn't a happy little kid any more. He became angry and bitter and allowed his hatred to control him. He wasn't the same anymore.

"And then he started he started being with your sister," she said, her eyes lighting up. "He began transforming again, becoming the boy he used to be. We were all so pleased, Tucker, but none of us realized what he was doing to Sam. We wouldn't have allowed had we known, I swear to you." I nodded, but mostly because I couldn't blame her. I hadn't realized how bad things had gotten either. "When Davina, David's mother, died, he reverted back to his anger. He took it out on everyone. And unfortunately, none of us were there for what he did to your sister." I nodded.

"This is well and good, Ms. DeWitt, but that doesn't answer my question. Why are you here?" I demanded.

"Because Davina would have wanted her grandchildren to know their family," she said. "She would have done anything to keep those children from David, but she still would have wanted them to know our family. What if you have questions?" she demanded. "What if one day one of those kids wants to know what their father was like?"

"What reason would they have? They have a dad. My husband; Seth. He cares for them better than David ever would have," I said, immediately defensive. "As for your inquiry to my questions, modern technology has basically eliminated the need for that."

"I just want to be a part of their lives," she pleaded.

"No!" Seth bellowed.


End file.
